


BATIM Drabbles 2

by phantomthief_fee



Series: BATIM Drabbles [25]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Drinking, Mental Health Issues, Nightmares, Originally Posted on Tumblr, References to Depression, Smoking, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 23,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22722151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: More requests I've gotten on Tumblr and here
Relationships: Grant Cohen/Sammy Lawrence, Grant Cohen/Thomas Connor, Joey Drew/Henry Stein, Lacie Benton/Bertrum Piedmont, Susie Campbell/Sammy Lawrence, Thomas Connor/Allison Pendle
Series: BATIM Drabbles [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/910824
Comments: 48
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

**Anonymous asked: Hi, I really like your stuff! If your still doing it, do you think you could write some ace sammy?**

Oh Hell yeah! >:D

I want to get this out since it’s Valentine’s Day and I think this is relevant.

* * *

Sammy wasn’t interested in sex. He never had been and he didn’t think he ever would be.

For a long time, he’d thought there was something wrong with him because of this. All everyone seemed to talk about was sex. His family had gone on and on about the children he’d someday father and his school friends never seemed to shut up about it, especially as teenagers. He’d tried to pretend he felt the same way, tried to pretend the idea appealed to him. He could never make himself go through with the act in the end though.

A number of his relationships had ended because he’d been unable to deliver. A few had said it meant they didn’t love him. Others had called him broken and insisted that he’d like it if he just tried. There had been some who’d accepted it, but the relationship still hadn’t lasted long after his confession. Mostly due to his own anxieties.

Because of these past experiences, he was terrified of telling Susie. But he still wanted to tell her. He didn’t want this hanging over his head. He didn’t want to constantly worry about whether or not Susie would abandon him. He just needed to get the courage to do it.

When Valentine’s Day rolled around, he decided this would be the day to tell her. He wanted to make sure she didn’t “surprise” him the way other partners of his had. However, every time he tried to tell her, he lost his nerve. He gave her the Valentine’s presents he’d gotten, but he kept failing to tell her what he wanted to. He’d bought her a necklace with a little halo pendant on it as his big gift and some chocolates as small gifts. She’d loved the necklace, thankfully.

“What am I going to do, Jack?” Sammy moaned. He’d gone down to join Jack in his little sanctuary while Susie recorded lines.

“My best advice would be to just to tell her outright, but that’s what you’re having trouble with, right?” Jack smiled sympathetically.

Sammy groaned again, banging his head on the desk. “I’m still no closer to telling her.”

Jack put a gentle hand on Sammy’s shoulder, rubbing circles with his thumb.

“Listen,” he said, his voice quiet. “I know this probably won’t help, but you just gotta tell her. Like ripping a bandaid off. Force those words out. It’ll only get harder the longer you avoid it.”

Sammy hunched his shoulders a bit. He knew Jack was right. He just had to force the words out. This was Susie. She’d accept him. She’d accepted every other secret he’d imparted to her. She was one of the people he trusted most in his life.

So, when Susie got finished recording her lines, Sammy took her aside.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said.

Immediately, Susie looked concerned, but she tried to hide it as best she could with a sunny smile.

“What is it?” She asked.

Sammy took a few deep breaths. This was it. He just had to get it out. It wouldn’t be like the others.

“I don’t…I’m not interested in sex,” he said slowly. “At all. It’s never appealed to me and I don’t think it ever will. I wanted you to know that.”

Susie stared at him for a moment, her head tilted to the side. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, which caused his heart to speed up with anxiety.

“I see,” she finally said, smiling. It was genuine this time, soft and comforting. “Thank you for telling me.”

It was Sammy’s turn to stare at her in silence now. He’d expected more of a reaction. But Susie just kept smiling at him.

“I’m glad you told me,” she continued with a small laugh. “Because I had a bit of a surprise lined up that probably would have made you uncomfortable.”

Ah, so she had been planning that sort of thing. He was glad he told her now as well.

“I hope that’s not the only Valentine’s present you got me,” he laughed.

“Of course not!” Susie drew away with a dramatic gasp, a hand on her chest. “Do you really think me such a succubus?”

For a moment both were silent before breaking into giggles.

“I got you a new Beethoven record,” Susie said. “It’s at home.”

“Well,” Sammy leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I look forward to listening to it with you.”

They spent that night cuddled together on the couch, listening to music and talking. It was perfect. Especially when Susie started making snarky remarks about one of the obnoxious writers who’d tried to hit on her. Her sharp tongue was one of the things he loved most about her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Anonymous asked: If you want, could you write a thing where Sammy comes into the studio one day and immediately locks himself in his office, not letting anyone in or leaving unless he has to, but then the pipes burst and it’s revealed that he found a kitten on his way to work when he gets angry at Joey because the kitten could of gotten hurt before he realizes that now everybody knows. (i love your writing!!)**

Oooh! This is really good!

* * *

Sammy had been in his office all day and everyone was terrified of what that might mean. As soon as he’d arrived at the studio, he’d locked himself in his office and refused to let anyone in. Usually when this happened, it meant Sammy was in a foul mood. This fear was further compounded by the fact that he hadn’t even allowed Susie into his office.

“Somethin’ big’s comin’. I’m tellin’ ya!” Wally said. He’d been especially nervous because these kinds of days always ended with him getting yelled at.

“You’re just being paranoid,” Susie tried to reassure him. While, admittedly, she was a tad worried about Sammy’s behavior, she knew he wasn’t angry or in a bad mood. He was certainly hiding _something_ , though.

“He’s been bringing weird stuff into his office.” Both Wally and Susie jumped a bit as Norman appeared behind them.

“What do you mean?” Susie asked. “What sort of things has he been getting?” She turned in her chair to face the projectionist.

“Pillows, blankets, a couple bowls.” Norman counted the things out on his fingers.

“That’s not **that** weird,” Wally said with a frown. He’d been hoping it would be something really strange.

“It’s weird for **him** ,” Susie pointed out. She was frowning as well, although for her it was a frown of concentration.

Despite the frequency of Sammy falling asleep at his desk, he was surprisingly resistant to putting a pillow down on his desk or using one to make sure he didn’t get back pain. His office was also incredibly warm in the wintertime, which it currently was, so it wasn’t as though he really needed the blanket right then. She didn’t entirely understand the bowls either.

“He’s doing something in there,” Norman said, nodding solemnly.

Susie hummed to herself, tapping her fingers on her coffee mug. She was getting rather curious now.

She spent quite a bit of time after that trying to get a peek into Sammy’s office. But he had the blinds drawn and the door locked. Susie was rather frustrated by this failure but shrugged it off easily enough. She had things to do. She couldn’t spend all her time wondering after about what Sammy was up to.

“That’s rather big of you,” Norman remarked when she came to join him in his projection booth.

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that,” Susie replied. “It’s just incredibly boring and frustrating to keep banging my head against that proverbial wall.”

Even as she said this, she could hear Wally failing once again to sneak a peek inside the office. If there was one person who never seemed to get tired of banging his head against walls, it was Wally.

Sammy did eventually emerge from the office of his own free will near the end of the day due, of course, to a pipe breaking. However, when he stormed out he had a small cloth bundle clutched to his chest.

“Joey!” He roared as he stormed toward Joey’s office.

Susie, Wally, and Norman all exchanged a glance before following after him. He was moving quickly, the bundle held against his chest with surprising tenderness. It seemed to be….making noise.

“Is it meowing?” Susie whispered.

“Sure sounds like it,” Norman said, stifling a snicker. Wally’s eyes widened at what was being insinuated.

“I’m guessing a pipe burst again?” Joey asked when Sammy finally burst into his office.

“Yes!” Sammy snapped, stalking toward Joey’s desk.

Joey sighed, rubbing his temples. “I’ll have Tom fix it.”

“This is the second time this week!” Sammy slammed his free hand on the desk. “She could have gotten hurt!”

“She?” Joey asked, frowning.

“She?” Norman, Susie, and Wally echoed from the doorway.

Sammy’s words died in his throat as he realized he’d let slip something he’d been hiding. In the silence, it became clear that the bundle in Sammy’s arms contained something living. Something living and very loud.

“Is…Is that blanket meowing?” Joey asked.

Sammy went red, hunching his shoulders. Susie, sensing that Sammy wanted to keep this under wraps, ushered Norman and Wally in and closed the door behind them.

“I found her in the alley,” Sammy mumbled, putting the bundle on the desk.

The blanket fell away, revealing a tiny black kitten. She was a little puffball, so fluffy she was practically spherical.

“Oh my gosh!” Wally squealed. “She’s so cute!”

“Didn’t take you for the type to pick up stray animals.” Norman couldn’t hide the smile creeping across his features. Susie couldn’t help but smile as well. This certainly explained Sammy’s erratic behavior throughout the day.

“Look, I’m sorry for snapping at you, Joey,” Sammy said, taking a few deep breaths. “I was just worried she could have gotten hurt from the pipe bursting.”

“That’s understandable,” Joey said, reaching out to pat the kitten on the head with a finger. The kitten swatted at his finger, doing a tiny hiss. It was pretty cute.

“What a fierce little girl,” Susie cooed.

“You can’t keep her in the studio, you know.” Joey looked up at Sammy. “It’s not really safe.”

“I know,” Sammy said. “I just…didn’t want to leave her out in the cold.” His face was still a bit red. He hadn’t wanted anyone to know about the kitten, hoping he could just take her home at the end of the day. He had a reputation to uphold!

“You gonna keep her?” Wally asked.

“Yeah. I think Carmen’d like her.” Sammy patted the kitten’s head. Carmen was his current cat, who was ten years old and affectionately known as “The Queen Bitch” by those who had met her. She had a surprisingly tender side when it came to kittens, though. Sammy had a feeling she’d like this feisty little kitten.

“Well, I hope they get along!” Susie said brightly.

“Yeah, me too,” Sammy murmured, then cleared his throat. “Anyway, I should…probably get back to work.”

“Why don’t you take her home?” Joey suggested, wrapping the kitten up in the blanket once more. “Wally and Tom can clean up your office.”

“It’d probably be safer if she wasn’t here,” Norman added.

Sammy considered this for a moment, then nodded and scooped the kitten up, leaving without another word. He had to think of a name for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**[deviltufts](https://deviltufts.tumblr.com/) asked: Hi there! I just read your nerf war Drabble and I completely forgot about buddy and Henry aaa. I know in a previous hell’s studio fic it was mentioned that Henry and buddy had a dad/son dynamic (I think it was part of the werewolf saga?) and I was wondering if you could write a Drabble where buddy turns into a werewolf and Henry (who is, maybe also a werewolf?) finds Buddy and Dot and helps out? Understandable if it’s too overwhelming or anything. I hope you’re doing ok otherwise!**

I am doing alright and I’d be happy to write this.

I’m a big fan of werewolves being big puppies

* * *

Buddy was freaking out. One minute everything had been normal and the next he’d been growing fur and bursting out of his clothes. Lycanthropy had been making the rounds in the studio as of late, starting with Henry, but Buddy hadn’t expected he would be affected. Maybe if he’d known, he wouldn’t have stayed after hours to finish up some frames.

He’d thought it wouldn’t hurt. Henry, Joey, and Dot were still there, Dot discussing some new script ideas with Joey and Henry finishing up some frames as well. He wasn’t working alone and Henry had promised to give him a ride home when they were both done. So it was fine, right?

Evidently not.

Buddy let out what could only be described as a whimper, looking around at the destroyed remains of his clothing and chair. What was he going to do? How had this even happened? Would Henry and Joey be angry about the destroyed chair? His ears flattened against his head and he made an attempt to make himself smaller. Should he hide?

Suddenly, he heard someone moving behind him. He scrambled around, nails digging into the wood. A large black wolf lumbered out from the area of Henry’s desk. For a moment, Buddy was terrified. How had a wolf gotten in here?! But as the wolf drew closer, he recognized it as Henry’s wolf form.

“I didn’t know you were a werewolf too,” Henry said. He was speaking through growls and barks, but Buddy could understand him as though he were speaking English.

“I’m not!” Buddy protested, although he quickly faltered. “Or…I didn’t think I was.”

“I’ve heard these traits can be dormant.” Henry nodded sagely. Or as sagely as he could being a giant wolf.

“Okay…” Buddy relaxed a bit. He felt better now that Henry was there and it seemed he wasn’t going to get yelled at. Not to mention, Henry was a werewolf too. So at least Buddy wasn’t alone in this.

“Geez. How am I gonna tell Ma about this?” Buddy mumbled. He’d tried to keep the weird supernatural stuff that went on at the studio away from her. He knew she’d get worried if she knew half the shit that went down there.

“I could tell her if you like,” Henry offered. “She might feel better about the situation if she hears it from an adult.”

“That’d be great!” Buddy lit up momentarily before his expression immediately fell. “Wait…Can you talk like this?”

“Not to humans,” Henry said. “But I’m not going to tell her right this instant.”

“I can’t go home like this, though!” Buddy’s anxiety flared up once more. “She’s gonna worry if I don’t come home!”

“I’ll have Dot or Joey call her then.”

It was at that point that Dot rounded the corner with a stack of papers in her arms. She didn’t seem too terribly surprised to see two wolves in the hallway, thankfully.

“Hey, Mr. Stein,” she said, nodding in his direction before looking at Buddy. “And…Buddy?”

Buddy nodded shyly, ears drooping again.

“Hm.” Dot frowned, shifting the papers in her arms. “Someone should probably tell your mom about this.”

Buddy looked abruptly up, nodding frantically.

“Yes! Please!” He begged, jumping up and putting his paws on her shoulders, almost making her drop her papers.

“Whoa! Hey!” Dot said, moving back. “I can’t understand barks. Are you saying you want me to tell your mom you aren’t going to come home tonight?”

Buddy nodded again, retreating a bit out of shame. Henry moved closer to him, nuzzling his face in an attempt to calm the teenager.

“I’ll go get Mr. Drew to call her, don’t worry,” Dot assured him, scratching him behind the ear. Buddy leaned into the scratch, surprised at how good it felt. His tail began to thump against the floor.

“That’s pretty cute.” Dot couldn’t help but giggle. She quickly ran off to tell Joey to call Mrs. Lewek before returning to do something to make Buddy more comfortable. Also, she wanted to see just how much of a big puppy he was.

When she got back, Henry had curled protectively around Buddy and was grooming him. Dot really wished she had a camera because she really wanted to remember this moment.

“You want me to make you guys a nest of blankets and pillows?” She asked, trying to hide her smile behind her hand.

Both Buddy and Henry looked up, their tails starting to wag in unison. Dot’s smile widened. This was going to be a lot of fun.

.

Dot fell asleep on a cot that night, with Buddy and Henry curled up in their little blanket nest nearby. Buddy was still a little nervous about his werewolf condition, but he felt better now. He had friends and family who would help him through it. His mother would probably be a little surprised by all this, but she’d work with it, as she had with his grandfather’s mental decline.

As Buddy laid under the blankets, Henry curled around him, he felt…happy. Safe. It felt good. He made a happy noise, closing his eyes and snuggling closer to Henry. He wondered if they could do this again the next full moon. He’d like that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this chapter does feature mentions of depression and depressive thinking

**Anonymous asked: Hey, if your taking prompts, could you maybe do a Sammy/Grant fic if thats ok?**

Sure! That’s not a pairing I’ve seen before, but I’m happy to give Grant someone who loves him.

Featuring me projecting heavily onto Grant~

* * *

Grant often forgot to take care of himself. His anxieties and depression had a tendency to keep him from doing the things he needed to in order to remain happy and healthy. Not to mention, Grant often forwent his own health and happiness in order to get his work done. He’d convinced himself that pleasing Joey was more important than keeping himself in good shape.

It was usually pretty easy to tell when Grant was having a hard time. He’d look disheveled and dirty with dark circles under his eyes.

When Grant was having a hard time, Sammy made sure to do what he could to help. He brought Grant tea (coffee made his anxiety worse) and some healthy and/or filling food during the day. He made sure Grant went home on time and made sure he got some sleep. He made sure Grant bathed regularly and brushed his teeth.

He stood up for Grant as well, more than once putting his own job on the line in order to defend Grant from Joey. Sammy knew that other studios would kill to get their hands on him. If Joey fired him, he had other places he could get hired. Sammy also knew that Joey needed Grant more than Grant needed Joey, which was why Joey so often preyed on Grant’s mental illness.

“Why do you bother with me?” Grant asked. He was curled up on in Sammy’s lap after having had another breakdown.

“I love you,” Sammy said, running a hand gently through Grant’s hair. “You’re a wonderful person, Grant.”

“No, I’m not.” Grant curled further in on himself, hiding his face against Sammy’s stomach. “I’m useless. I’m weak. I can’t even stand up to Joey on my own.” He could feel the tears coming on again.

“You’re not weak,” Sammy insisted, although he kept his voice calm and even. “You’re one of the strongest people I know, Grant.”

“I don’t **feel** strong,” Grant sniffled.

Sammy sighed, pulling Grant closer. He hated to see Grant like this. He did believe Grant was strong. No matter what happened, no matter how much life piled on him, Grant kept going. Maybe he didn’t always handle it the best, but he kept going anyway.

“I love you, Grant,” Sammy repeated, leaning down to kiss Grant on the head. “I know you’re worried I’ll get tired of you. I know you’re worried I’ll leave you. But I’m not going to. Even if we break up, I’m not going to leave you.”

Grant was silent, but Sammy felt him smile a little.

They both ended up falling asleep like that. Which was uncomfortable as Hell when they woke up, but it didn’t really matter.

.

Sometimes Sammy surprised Grant with sweets when he’d had a particularly hard time. Grant wasn’t as partial to chocolate as Sammy was, but he did have a fondness for the kosher cupcakes that Sammy often picked up from the bakery near his house.

“The owner knows me by name at this point,” Sammy said once when presenting Grant with the cupcakes. “I don’t even need to ask for my order anymore. She just gets out the box the second I walk in.”

“Does she know who you’re getting these for?” Grant asked, unwrapping a cupcake.

“Yep.” Sammy’s face went a bit red and he ran a hand through his hair. The bakery owner, a woman old enough to be his mother, always winked when she handed over the box and said, “Hope your boyfriend likes them.” It was incredibly embarrassing.

Grant let out an undignified snort, unable to hide his huge grin at Sammy’s reddened face.

“I guess she likes you,” he said.

Sammy groaned, covering his face. “It’s like when my mother tried to help me confess to my crushes.”

Grant nearly choked on his cupcake at that. Once he’d gotten the cupcake chunk down, he began to laugh uproariously.

“I’m glad you think it’s funny,” Sammy grumbled. “Because it was incredibly awkward for me.” Well, at least Grant was laughing.


	5. Buddy Gets A Father Figure And A Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buddy escapes being turned into a Boris and unexpectedly has a meeting with the one and only Henry Stein

**[flippythezilla](https://flippythezilla.tumblr.com/) asked: Hi I don’t know if you wrote one yet but how about a Drabble where Henry meets buddy... I love buddy so much**

I also love Buddy.

So, this is gonna be an AU where Buddy doesn’t become Boris!

* * *

Buddy still wasn’t sure how he’d managed to make it out of the studio. It had all been such a blur. One second he was being dragged into the ink by that Demon and the next he was on the lawn outside of the studio getting CPR from a paramedic while Joey screamed in the background. Jacob had been beside him, vomiting ink into the grass while Dot patted his back.

He didn’t remember the questioning by the police much. There hadn’t been a lot that he’d been able to say. It wasn’t like they’d believe him if he told them the truth after all.

He was back at home now, trying to assuage his mother’s fears as best he could. She’d been understandably worried when he’d shown up in the state he had, accompanied by a police escort. She’d been hovering around his room ever since he’d gotten out of the shower. His grandfather had been quiet, asleep on the bed.

Buddy figured he’d probably need to find a new job now. There was no way Joey was going to let him come back. Not after this shit. Which was just fine because Buddy didn’t **want** to go back. Joey Drew was fucking crazy and Buddy didn’t want to be anywhere near him anymore.

“Buddy?” He jumped a bit as his mother opened the door. “There’s a man here to see you.”

Buddy’s heart began to pound. Had Joey found him? Was Joey going to drag him back?

“D-Did he say who he is?” He asked.

“He said his name is Henry Stein,” his mother replied, looking a tad worried. “Do you know him?”

Buddy blinked. Henry Stein? There was no way.

He scrambled to his feet, pushing past his mother to get a glimpse of the man in the doorway. He didn’t immediately recognize the man standing there. But the longer he looked, the more the man became familiar. He was older than the man in the picture on Joey’s desk, his hair greyer and his face more lined with wrinkles, but it was him. It was Henry Stein.

“Ah, hello.” Henry caught sight of Buddy and waved politely. “I’m sorry for coming by without warning. I just heard about what happened at the studio and…” He trailed off, a sad smile crossing his face. “Could we talk?”

“Do you know him?” Buddy’s mother whispered to him. She had a hand on his shoulder, ready to put herself between this strange man and her son at a moment’s notice.

“Uh, yeah. It’s fine,” Buddy said. He didn’t want to talk with Henry here. Not where his mother could hear and get even more worried.

“I’ll be right back.” He reached for his coat. “I just gotta talk about something with Mr. Stein.”

“Are you sure?” His mother asked, touching his arm. “You only just got back.”

“I’ll just be a minute, Ma. I promise.” Buddy gave her a reassuring smile.

His mother pursed her lips, but let her hand drop.

“Thank you.” Buddy nodded to her and walked out the door. Henry followed after, closing the door behind them.

The two of them made their way down the stairs and out of the building, walking until they found themselves in a park not too far away. It was getting late, so there wasn’t anyone else out.

“How did you find out where I live?” Buddy asked, turning to Henry. “How do you even know who I am?”

“Allison called me,” Henry explained. “She and Tom were worried about you, especially after they figured out you were going back to the studio.”

“They were…worried about me?” Buddy echoed. He’d been certain Tom hated him.

“Tom can be a bit prickly, but he’s a good man,” Henry said. “He didn’t want Joey to do something to you.”

Buddy felt his stomach drop at the memory of what he’d seen at the studio. Richie, Norman, Sammy. The Demon. The full weight of what he’d seen and experienced was just now hitting him.

God. He’d almost **died**.

Henry’s expression grew weary and resigned as he watched the fear cross Buddy’s features.

“I’m sorry about Joey,” he whispered, putting a hand on Buddy’s shoulder. His hand was large, providing a comforting weight that grounded Buddy once more. He wasn’t in the studio anymore. He was safe.

“I would say he didn’t used to be this bad, but…” Henry laughed weakly. “That would be a lie. And I don’t really want to lie to you.”

For a moment or two, they were both silent. Buddy took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, focusing on the weight of Henry’s hand on his shoulder.

“Why did you leave?” He finally asked.

Henry looked down at his right hand, the one not on Buddy’s shoulder. The one that had his wedding band.

“I thought when we started the studio we’d be working as a team,” he said. “That we’d work together. Instead, I did all the work and he took all the credit.”

Buddy nodded. That certainly sounded like the Joey Drew he knew. He’d heard the lyricist saying that one of Sammy’s songs had won an award, but Joey had been the one to claim the credit.

“He just kept giving me more and more work. I hardly ever got to go home. I hardly ever got to see my _**wife**_.” Henry’s voice broke a bit and Buddy could see tears welling up in his eyes. “Eventually…it just got too much. I couldn’t do it anymore. I thought Joey would understand, but…”

“He thought you were betraying him,” Buddy finished.

Henry smiled sadly. “Exactly.”

Buddy let out a long exhale. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That sounds really rough.”

“It happened years ago. I’ve had time to come to terms with it.” Henry waved his hand dismissively. “It’s no use to let yourself be consumed by the past.”

Consumed by the past. Buddy didn’t even need to wonder who that was referring to.

“Anyway, I’m assuming you’re not going back to the studio.” Henry looked expectantly at Buddy.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Buddy said. “I’m not going back. Absolutely not.”

“In that case.” Henry removed his hand from Buddy, rummaging in his coat to pull out a business card. “I might have something for you.”

Buddy blinked, staring at the business card. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of something to say. Nothing was coming out.

“I can provide a reference.” Henry took Buddy’s hand, pressing the card into his palm. “Both for you and Miss Dot, although I still have to get in contact with her.”

“Wh…Why?” Buddy managed to croak out. “Why are you doing this for me?”

Henry smiled gently at him. It was the sort of smile that made one feel warm and safe. It was a fatherly smile that made Buddy’s heart ache.

“You’re young,” he said. “I don’t want Joey ruining your life too.”

“Okay.” Buddy took the business card, tucking it into his pocket. “Thank you, Mr. Stein. Thank you so much!” He felt like crying he was so happy.

“You’re welcome. Feel free to call me if you need anything.” Henry patted his shoulder again. He then turned and walked away.

Buddy stood in the park for a moment longer before turning and running back home. He couldn’t wait to tell his mother.


	6. Chapter 6

**Anonymous asked: If it was okay to ask, could you write something about the other two members of the Butcher Gang (Charley and Barley)? I rarely see anyone write or do anything with those two.**

Sure!

* * *

Barley and Charley were old men at their core, and sometimes Edgar’s energy proved too much for them. It was hard for them to keep up with him all the time while he bounced off the walls. When they grew tired, they retreated to Lacie’s workshop to drink and rest their old bones.

Lacie usually didn’t mind having them around since they didn’t do much besides drink and smoke. She liked them more than the other toons like Bendy or Boris with their boundless energy and penchant for troublemaking. Barley and Charley were troublemakers, sure, but they were smart troublemakers. And they knew not to mess with her stuff.

“How’d you two end up taking care of Edgar anyway?” Lacie asked one day when Barley and Charley had come to hang out.

“We just found him.” Charley shrugged, taking a swig from his moonshine bottle. 

“The lad was left in a basket on an orphanage doorstep,” Barley continued, blowing out a few smoke rings from his pipe. “We took the liberty of… _liberatin’_ him from their care.” He grinned, revealing his gold tooth. “Thought we’d show him the pirate’s life!”

“He would’ve had a shitty life in that orphanage.” Charley’s lip curled up in disdain.

“So you stole a baby.” Lacie started to laugh uproariously, smacking her knee. “That’s certainly something!”

“We didn’t **steal** him,” Charley corrected her a tad testily. “Like Barley said, we **liberated** him.”

“It be the same thing.” Barley shrugged.

“Alright. Fine. I guess it’s just semantics.” Charley sighed, folding his arms. “But we’re not the type that makes a habit out of just stealing kids.”

“Didn’t exactly take you two for the paternal types.” Lacie’s laughter had died down for the most part, but she was still giggling every so often.

“Oh we’re not,” Charley said before taking a long swig of his moonshine. “Raising that kid was about the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“It were a learning experience.” Barley agreed.

Lacie started laughing all over again, the image of these two literal hardened criminals raising a baby proving too much for her.

“Barley was better at it than I was.” Charley jerked a thumb over at Barley.

“Still made the lad cry a fair bit more than I shoulda.” Barley’s expression was unreadable, as it usually was, but Lacie could have sworn he looked the slightest bit guilty.

“But that doesn’t matter much now since he’s latched onto that accountant fellow.” Charley leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up on the table next to him. “Gives us more time to relax.”

Barley nodded in agreement, blowing out a few more smoke rings.

“Well, good for you two,” Lacie said with a wry smile.

She wasn’t the only one they hung out with, either. Oftentimes they’d bother Shawn or Wally to drink with them if they weren’t busy. Occasionally they’d rope Tom into drinking, but more often than not he had work he needed to do. Bertram didn’t drink around them because he knew he would do something embarrassing and they would use it as leverage against him.

Henry tried to keep an eye on them whenever he could. They **were** villains, after all. Cartoon villains, but villains nonetheless.


	7. Buddy the Babysitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buddy does some babysitting

**Anonymous asked: Are you still taking fanfic request? I have one request and it involves Buddy and Dot babysitting Charlie Lawrence.**

Oh heck yeah! >:D

* * *

Buddy had been convinced since the first day he’d started at the studio that Sammy Lawrence hated him. This was mostly because Sammy’s default state was grumpy and he had a tendency to intimidate younger employees. Especially Buddy. Which was why he’d been so surprised when Sammy had asked him to watch his kid.

He’d seen Charlie Lawrence around, of course. Susie and Sammy had adopted them almost a year ago and it was rather common to see them zooming through the hallways in their wheelchair or hobbling along with their cane. But Buddy had never talked to them before since they tended to hang out in the Music Department.

He was almost certain he hadn’t given Sammy a reason to think he could be trusted with a child. Except, maybe that Buddy himself was a child. This was, in fact, exactly why Sammy thought it would be a good idea to leave Charlie with him. He was only actually five years older than them. Sammy figured it was a safe bet that Buddy would be able to handle Charlie.

He hadn’t communicated any of this to Buddy, so when Buddy saw Sammy walking toward his desk he assumed he was in trouble. He failed to notice Charlie trailing behind Sammy.

“Hey. Art Department,” Sammy said. This had become Sammy’s default nickname for Buddy, which was actually a bit of a sign of endearment. Only people Sammy liked got nicknames.

“Yes, Mr. Lawrence?” Buddy tried to keep his voice from shaking.

“Susie has to record a song and I have to conduct the band, so could you watch Charlie for an hour or two?” Sammy asked. Charlie waved from behind him. It had been raining outside, so they were wearing their frog raincoat.

“You want…Me? To watch them?” Buddy asked slowly, pointing to himself.

“Yeah.” Sammy nodded. “If you can’t that’s fine. I’ll find someone else.”

“No, uh, it’s fine,” Buddy said, looking over at Ms. Lambert. He didn’t want to agree if she had work she needed him to do.

“It’s fine,” she confirmed. Charlie had proved to be quiet and respectful while in the animation department before.

“Alright, I’ll do it.” Buddy smiled nervously.

“Great. Thanks.” Sammy patted him on the shoulder before walking away, leaving Buddy alone with Charlie.

Charlie had pulled up a chair beside Buddy’s desk, sitting down and peering curiously at his desk.

“What are you drawing?” They asked.

“Some frames for the new episode,” Buddy explained.

“Oh!” Charlie lit up. “The one with the tango number!”

“Yeah, exactly.” Buddy couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Dad’s been working really hard on that song,” Charlie said, bouncing in their chair. “And Mom’s been working on learning how to roll her r’s so she can sing the song better.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah! I can’t really do it ‘cause I’ve got this tongue thing, but Dad can do it really well! He’s been teaching Mom and…”

Charlie chattered on for a bit, with Buddy listening quietly. It was nice to listen to Charlie talk. They had a lot of enthusiasm, both for the work of their parents and for the work that Buddy and the Art Department did.

After an hour, Dot appeared, having gotten word that Buddy was on babysitting duty.

“Hi, Miss Dot!” Charlie waved excitedly upon seeing her. Dot had also been asked to babysit once or twice, immediately winning Charlie over with her stories.

“Hello.” Dot waved back. “You having fun?”

“Yeah!” Charlie nodded fervently. “Buddy’s a really good listener and he draws well!”

“I mean, I’ve still got a lot to learn,” Buddy said, feeling his cheeks beginning to heat up.

“They’re giving you a compliment, take it.” Dot slapped his shoulder.

“Thanks,” Buddy mumbled.

“You’re welcome!” Charlie replied brightly.

The rest of the time until Sammy returned was spent by Buddy drawing and Dot explaining the story behind the frames. Charlie didn’t really know the bigger picture behind the tango episode and was delighted to learn more. Charlie even began making up their own stories about the adventures Bendy and his friends could go on. Buddy humored them and drew some of the scenes.

Sammy grinned to himself when he approached to the sound of Charlie’s eager chatter.

“Sounds like you all had fun,” he said.

“Sure did.” Dot replied with a grin of her own.

“It was a lot of fun,” Buddy agreed. It was strange to see Sammy smiling so tenderly, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Dad! Dad!” Charlie bounced up and down in their chair. “Dot and Buddy helped me make up a bunch of Bendy stories!”

“Oh really?” Sammy raised an eyebrow. “Your mom’s waiting in the breakroom. Why don’t we get you some food and you can tell us there?”

“Okay!”

Sammy helped Charlie up and the two of them headed off to meet up with Susie.

“We made a pretty good team there,” Dot said, gently nudging Buddy in the ribs.

Buddy moved away to avoid getting elbowed again, but nodded. “Yeah, I guess we did.”


	8. Just A Simple Country Boy

**Anonymous asked: You don’t need to do this, but earlier today I saw a post about Sammy living in a farm or so but others not knowing this cause it’s Sammy and he doesn’t seem to be the one lived on a farm(or so). And I can only imagine how they’ll figure it out and how they’ll react XP. You don’t need to to this like I said but I just LOVE YOUR WRITING**

I believe the post you’re referring to is [this ](https://1930s-inkhell.tumblr.com/post/189922234036/ive-always-loved-the-idea-of-sammy-lawrence-who)one by [@1930s-inkhell](https://tmblr.co/mq06s8bzhZINyOFGBednaZg). I was planning on writing something involving it because it’s a really cool idea, but I never really got around to it. This’ll give me the push to finally get to it.

I also like [this ](https://1930s-inkhell.tumblr.com/post/183746300901/sammy-lawrence-is-a-southern-boy-who-grew-up-in)post. 1930s-inkhell has a lot of really cool ideas and you should really check them out! :D

(Also I apologize if I butcher this idea. I'm sick and a bit loopy.)

* * *

Sammy Lawrence had been born and raised in Mississippi and had gotten out of there as soon as he possibly could. He’d never cared for the bigotry that had seemed to permeate every facet of the small town he’d grown up in. He still went back to visit his family, he was the designated babysitter for his plethora of nieces and nephews after all, but he was happier not living there.

Unfortunately, bigotry was just as rampant in New York, but he didn’t have to drive an hour to go to the store. It was a trade-off. He did what he could to shut it down when he saw it, earning himself a reputation as a hard-ass. He was perfectly happy with this reputation as it scared off the sort of people he didn’t want to be talking with anyway.

The people who needed his help knew they could count on him. He’d been asked to babysit the kids of some of the more desperate employees more than once, which he was more than happy to do. The fact that he was good with children was similarly kept a secret. He had a reputation to uphold, after all.

He still kept his home state a secret from most of his colleagues. He knew the prevailing thoughts about people from the South and wasn’t in much of a hurry to burn any more bridges snapping at whoever made such ignorant remarks. He didn’t care much about what people thought about him, but he would not tolerate people talking ill of his family or friends.

He had known some amazing people in his hometown. Kind, amazing, wonderful people who had shown more compassion and humanity than a lot of the people he’d met in the city. The choir in his church had made some of the best music he’d ever heard in his life. They hadn’t had a lot in the way of instruments, but they’d been incredible. Part of the reason his standards were so high was because of them. If the church orchestra in his middle of nowhere town was able to make amazing music then these big city musicians should be able to do just as well.

But only a few people actually knew where Sammy was from.

Joey knew, of course, because he knew everything about everyone. He didn’t make a fuss about it. It didn’t matter where Sammy was from as long as he could do good work.

Norman knew as well, having seen and heard Sammy calling his family back home. He didn’t say much about it. The way he saw it, it was Sammy’s business, not his.

He’d told Susie himself. He’d been so head over heels for her and he wanted to share this part of himself with her. She was from the South too, so she’d thankfully accepted it. In fact, the two of them had bonded over the various things that both their families did.

Then Wally had found out. And he’d reacted…predictably badly. Wally had been the one Sammy had been most worried about finding out. The janitor could never keep his mouth shut and had a habit of saying whatever stupid thing popped into his head at any given moment. 

“You’re from Mississipi?!” Wally sputtered. He’d heard Sammy arranging his Christmas trip home to visit his family and caught the fact that he was discussing flights to Mississippi. 

“I am,” Sammy replied, internally groaning. This wasn’t going to be a fun conversation, he could just tell.

“But you’re so-! So-!” Wally gestured broadly to Sammy. Sammy felt his temper beginning to flare.

“So what?” He asked coolly.

“Um…Sophisticated? Open-minded?” Wally said weakly. His voice had gotten a lot quieter due to the building anger he could sense coming from Sammy. It wasn’t the normal kind of angry Sammy usually was. Wally had crossed a line and he knew it. 

Sammy took a deep breath to calm himself, pinching the bridge of his nose and counting to ten until he no longer wanted to murder the janitor.

“I will admit, there are some rather backward and bigoted people in Mississippi,” he said slowly. “But there are backward and bigoted people in every state. Making assumptions like that is dangerous and I’d thank you not to do it again. You can hurt a lot of people with that sort of thinking.”

“I’m sorry.” Wally bowed his head. “I wasn’t thinkin’.”

“No, you weren’t,” Sammy replied. “In the future, I suggest you do think about the effect your words can have.”

“Sorry,” Wally mumbled again.

“Apology accepted.” Sammy turned back to his desk. “Now, I think you should get back to work.”

“Yessir.” Wally nodded and scrambled out.

Sammy breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully, Wally wouldn’t bring this up again.

The next day, Sammy found a chocolate cake on his desk, as well as an apology note from Wally. It wasn’t signed, but Sammy could recognize Wally’s handwriting anywhere. It was rather distinctive.

“Hm.” Sammy looked down at the cake, noting Wally watching from around the corner. He couldn’t help but laugh to himself as he put down the card. He’d have to return the favor at some point.

He wondered if Wally had ever had a whoopie pie. Maybe he should make one for him sometime.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry's granddaughter has a strange fondness for the Ink Demon

**Anonymous asked: Could you please do a story where the Ink Demon faces off against his greatest adversary (Henry notwithstanding): a very curious and very adorable small child. Thank you in advance! -Gears**

Sure!

* * *

This was it. The Ink Demon had met his match. Of all the enemies he’d faced, this was his most formidable adversary.

Henry’s 7-year-old granddaughter, Hope.

A month after Henry had rescued everyone from the studio, his daughter Sarah had to visit with her husband David and her daughter, Hope. The Ink Demon, or Inky as he was now affectionately called, was still adjusting to being around other people and had scared the pants off of David and Sarah. But Hope hadn’t been at all intimidated.

“Mama! It’s Bendy!” She’d squealed, tugging on her mother’s skirt. “Just like in Granpa Henry’s pictures!”

Inky had been completely baffled by this little girl’s complete lack of fear. Even Henry had been afraid of him. So why was this little girl so different?

He tried to stay away from her, but Hope always seemed to find him. No matter where he hid, she was able to track him down. She’d crawl all over him, constantly asking him questions.

“Why are you so tall? Why are you so skinny? Where are your eyes? Do you have a tail? Do you want a tail? Why do you only have one glove? Can you dance? Do you like dancing?”

He’d growled at her, swatted her away, but she kept coming back, undeterred by the open hostility he showed toward her. The fact that he wasn’t really able to talk didn’t seem to deter her either.

“You seem pretty popular with the kiddo,” Bendy remarked to Inky one day. He’d been rather jealous that Hope seemed to prefer Inky over him. After all, he was the Little Devil Darling! Kids were supposed to love him! Why did Hope prefer that sourpuss over him?

Inky made a grumbling noise, hunching his shoulders and sinking more into the blanket fort he’d made for himself. David, Sarah, and Hope had just left for the day to head back to their hotel and Inky had decided to make himself a blanket fort to recover from Hope’s barrage of questions.

“I think it’s cute.” Alice clapped her hands together. “She really loves him!”

Inky grumbled louder. He was supposed to be **scary**! Hope should be scared of him!

“I dunno why you’re so upset about this,” Boris said, his voice muffled a bit by the sandwich he was in the middle of cramming into his mouth. He was leaned back on Inky’s blanketed body, being pretty much the only one who could get away with it.

“Yeah, why **are** you upset?” Bendy demanded. “The kiddo loves you! You’re her favorite!”

_I’m supposed to be **scary**!_ Inky growled. He couldn’t really talk, but he could communicate his thoughts and feelings to other beings connected to the ink. This included the toons and, to a lesser extent, Henry.

“Why do you think that?” Alice asked, suddenly looking concerned. Inky burrowed deeper under his blanket as she sat down beside him, putting a hand on his back. He hated it when the toons tried to get all emotional with him. He didn’t do emotional. He just didn’t.

_I’m supposed to be scary._ Inky repeated. _I’m not pleasant._

“I mean, you ain’t pleasant,” Bendy said.

“Bendy!” Alice swatted at Bendy’s shoulder.

“He’s not!” Bendy protested. “He said so!”

“But you can’t just say that!”

“I had a point!” Bendy put his hands up, momentarily silencing Alice. Inky peeked out from his blanket, curious as to what Bendy was about to say.

“Look, you don’t gotta be nice or whatever if you don’t wanna be,” Bendy said, looking back at Inky. “You bein’ a scary jerk doesn’t mean people aren’t gonna like you. I mean, people still like Sammy and that Piedmont guy.”

Inky snorted at that.

“And the kiddo liking you doesn’t make you any less scary,” Bendy continued. “‘Cause you’re still real scary.”

“Sometimes I see you in the hallway at night and I kinda pee myself a little,” Boris announced, nodding solemnly.

_Alright. Fine._ Inky hid himself back under the blanket again to hide the genuine smile that was spreading across his face.

.

Inky still didn’t particularly enjoy the fact that Hope seemed to regard him as a jungle gym, but he made an effort to tolerate it better. He still didn’t know why she liked him so much, though.

Then…She asked something of him that he was more than happy to help with.

“Teach me to be scary!” Hope demanded, clambering onto his chest.

Inky tilted his head to the side, making a curious noise.

“I wanna be scary!” Hope said. “Like you! That way I can scare the mean kids!”

Inky stared at her for a moment before a huge terrifying grin spread across his face. He nodded. Now this, this was something he could do.


	10. Dot Gets A Pep Talk

**Anonymous asked: Since you don't mind shipping DotXBuddy think you could write about how Dot is starting to have feelings for Buddy and she vents about it to someone because she isn't sure if Buddy likes her back or something?**

Sure!

This ended up being the other ladies give Dot a pep talk.

* * *

Dorothy Goldstein was smart. Everyone knew it. She was clever, and sharp as a whip. She was also incredibly headstrong and driven. Her last partner had been equally industrious.

So why on Earth had she found herself in love with Buddy Lewek?

Buddy wasn’t stupid, but he could be rather oblivious at times. He wasn’t all that assertive either. In fact, his passivity frustrated her to no end. He always let people walk all over him. His strength lay in his determination and capacity for kindness. He was a good man, just not a smart one or ambitious one.

She didn’t understand why she got butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw him, why his smile made her feel warm inside, why she felt more pride than usual when he complimented her.

“I just don’t get it,” she groaned, resting her forehead on the table. “Why him?”

She’d gathered together Lacie, Susie, and Allison in an attempt to talk these feelings out with them. If that failed, she figured they’d let her vent.

“He’s a very sweet boy,” Allison said. “I can understand why you’d develop feelings for him.”

“Sometimes I just want to pinch his cheeks,” Susie sighed.

“I thought I’d want a partner who’s as assertive as I am, though!” Dot protested. “I could spill soup in his lap and he’d apologize!”

“In my experience, strongwilled and assertive people don’t make for good romantic couples,” Susie said. “You just end up butting heads all the time. I mean, I’ve met people who can make it work, but in my experience, it usually ends in a nasty breakup.”

“I dunno why you’re so worked up about this.” Lacie blew out a ring of smoke from her pipe. “Lewek’s a good kid. You’ve got good taste.”

“Like I said, I thought I’d want someone like me,” Dot sighed, lifting her head. “Assertive, driven. Like that.”

“And like I said, Lewek’s a good kid,” Lacie said, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. “Hardworking, kind, respectful. He’d make a good partner. Don’t think he’d get jealous if you were more successful than him either. Doesn’t seem the type.”

“Well, he’s 17. He might get a _little_ jealous,” Allison cut in. “Teenagers can be rather insecure sometimes. But I doubt he’d hold it against you, dear.”

Dot frowned slightly, considering their words. They **were** right. Buddy didn’t seem like the sort to be threatened by her success. He’d supported all her endeavors thus far. And she did like being around him. He was such a sweetheart.

“So…I should ask him out,” she concluded. “Just for lunch or something. Go from there.”

“I certainly wouldn’t advise waiting for him to notice.” Allison couldn’t help but giggle a bit.

“Men are dense as Hell, honey.” Susie put a hand on Dot’s. “Teenage boys especially. You wanna get anywhere, you gotta make your intentions known.”

Lacie grunted in agreement.

“Alright!” Dot nodded, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. “I’m going to ask him out!” She started toward the door before suddenly faltering and running back. “But what if he doesn’t feel the same way?”

“If he doesn’t feel the same way, he doesn’t feel the same way.” Lacie shrugged. “Not much you can do about that.”

“But what if things get weird between us?” Dot chewed on her lip.

“It might be a little awkward if he doesn’t feel the same way,” Allison admitted, moving closer and taking Dot’s hand in hers. “But it **will** be temporary. And you’ll feel better once you tell him. I can guarantee that.”

“Pining’s not really all that much fun,” Susie said with a wry smile.

“Now go on.” Lacie made a shooing motion. “Before you lose your nerve.”

Dot nodded, leaving the break room and heading for Buddy’s desk.

Buddy was rather flustered by her declaration but managed to stammer out an agreement to go out to lunch with her sometime. When Dot left his desk, he was bright red and staring at the paper in front of him.


	11. Too Loud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A microprompt from Tumblr

**Anonymous asked: 13. Too loud**

Once again featuring me projecting onto Sammy

* * *

The studio was too loud.

It had always been too loud. 

Even before the pipe in his office. 

Even before there had been people in and out all the time, disturbing his peace, breaching his haven, leaving him paranoid and vulnerable.

It had always been too loud. Always someone talking loudly in the hallways. Always someone popping their gum. Always someone chewing that damned gum as though their lives depended on oxygenating it as much as possible. Always someone practicing in the hallways. 

It was always too loud. 

He’d just wanted a quiet place to compose. His office was his haven. His sanctuary. It had been his. He could listen to the radio, maybe strum out a few experimental chords on the banjo to see how they actually sounded in practice. He was safe there. He could concentrate without distractions. 

Then came the pipe. Then came the people in and out all the time. 

It wasn’t safe anymore. The noise had breached his haven and nowhere was safe anymore. There was nowhere he could concentrate. The noise followed him wherever he went. There was nowhere in the studio that was quiet anymore. The pipes brought the noise to every corner. 

It was too loud. It was always too loud. 


	12. Something About Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another mini prompt from Tumblr

**[deviltufts](https://deviltufts.tumblr.com/) asked: 28: Something about them?**

There was something about Joey Drew that seemed to draw everyone to him. 

He had a presence, a sort of charisma. He was funny, charming, and he always knew what to say at every moment. He made you feel special when you were around him. Like you were the most important person in the whole world. To most, he seemed perfect. Handsome, successful, and clever, with ambition and drive. 

But there was something darker to him that very few saw. Joey Drew harbored a deep anger in his heart. Anger at the world and the people around him. Anger at himself. He had a refusal to accept failure, a need to succeed no matter the costs. He seemed incapable of accepting that he was wrong. About anything. 

Only his closest friends and a select few employees had ever seen this side of him. Only Henry had had the courage to leave over it. 


	13. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another mini prompt from Tumblr

**Anonymous asked: 20. alone, finally**

It was strange for the studio employees when they were finally freed from the studio. Their minds were silent. 

They were…alone.

They’d spent such a long time with their minds cluttered by the screaming voices of the others trapped in the dark puddles, their memories indistinct and jumbled. It had been hard to know where one of them ended and another began. They hadn’t had identities in the ink.

None of them were sure what to do now. They couldn’t remember what it was like to truly be alone. It felt unnatural to be a separate being after all the time they’d spent as part of a collective. 

Even now that they were out of the studio, many turned to Sammy for guidance and comfort. They didn’t want to be alone. 


	14. Trembling Hands

**Anonymous asked: 15 trembling hands**

Joey had nightmares after getting out. Nightmares about the studio. Nightmares about the horrible things he’d done to his employees and friends. Even when he didn’t have nightmares, he found it hard to sleep, his thoughts haunted by the things he’d done. 

Esther often found him sitting on the couch in the middle of the night, staring at his shaking hands.

“What’s wrong, Jojo?” She asked, sitting down beside him. Joey just collapsed against her, his whole body shaking with barely contained sobs.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him and stroking his hair the way she had when they’d been children and he’d had a nightmare.

“I’m a monster,” he whimpered. 

“You made mistakes,” she corrected him. A lot of mistakes. But pointing that out wouldn’t really help. 

The time she spent holding him varied depending on the night. Sometimes it was only for a few minutes. Sometimes it was for hours and they ended up falling asleep together. 

Helping her brother was a process, but Esther was going to make sure that this time she got him the help he needed.


	15. Overgrown

**[artificial-ghost](https://artificial-ghost.tumblr.com/) asked: 14 overgrown?**

Ivy covered the outside of the studio. It had crept up over the years, growing to take over nearly the entire front.

“You wouldn’t think that much greenery could grow in 20 years,” Henry said.

Joey was silent, staring up at studio he’d worked so hard to build, already being reclaimed by nature. He took a step forward, running a hand over the slick leaves of the ivy.

“I’m sorry,” he said. 

“Hm?”

“Nothing.” Joey waved a free hand dismissively. The apology hadn’t been for Henry. It had been for the studio itself. The studio that had been left to ruin by his own hubris and brutality. He had failed not only his employees but the studio itself. He had let it fall to ruin. He had let it crumble. 

“I think it looks beautiful like this.” 

“What?” Joey looked back at him with a frown. 

“I think it looks beautiful,” Henry repeated. “Look.” He pulled Joey back a bit, gesturing to the ivy climbing the walls. Flowers had bloomed along with the ivy, little pops of color against the faded brickwork. There were birds nesting in some of the broken sections of the wall. Bees flew out of the flowers. 

Joey wasn’t a big fan of nature. Especially now. But he had to admit…This was beautiful. 

“Yeah, it is,” he said. It was better like this. Better to have the studio reclaimed by the nature he’d fought so hard against. It was becoming something beautiful.


	16. Breeze

**[midnightthefallen](https://midnightthefallen.tumblr.com/) asked: 31 breeze**

Norman had thought he would never feel the breeze on his face again. So many years cooped up in that studio, he’d lost hope he would ever enjoy nature again. 

“You seem happy,” Susie said, sitting down beside him. 

The former studio employees were having a picnic in a park near Henry’s house. Henry had organized it in an attempt to get the studio employees comfortable with the outside world again.

“I **am** happy,” Norman replied with a big grin. 

“It’s nice to be outside, huh?” Susie laughed. Her laugh wasn’t as strong as it had once been. She was still unsure of herself after what she’d done in the studio.

“It is,” Norman agreed. It was a lovely day. The sky was such a vibrant blue with only a few powderpuff clouds drifting along. The sun shone down on them, warming Norman’s skin in a way he’d never thought he’d experience again. A breeze drifted through every so often, cool and refreshing.

“I do wish I’d brought a sunhat, though,” Susie said. “I’m afraid I’ll burn in all this sun.”

“You’ll be fine,” Norman assured her. “We won’t be out here that long.”

“Ah. Alright.”

Nearby, Henry was leading some of the former employees in a game of baseball, helped by a very enthusiastic Bendy. The sound of their game provided some nice background noise while Susie and Norman relaxed.

Slowly, Norman lowered himself down so that he was laying on the picnic blanket, gazing up at the sky. Susie hesitated momentarily but soon enough joined him.

“I missed the sky,” she said, curling up a bit. 

“Me too.” 

Norman glanced over at her, allowing a small smile to grace his features. He’d always worried about her when the studio had still been running. A part of him had thought of her as something similar to a daughter. He still worried about her now. She was still fragile, having just been put back together. 

For now, though, he wanted to enjoy the outing. 

“Oh! Look! That cloud looks like a rabbit!” Susie suddenly exclaimed, pointing at a cloud. 

Norman chuckled, following her finger. “Yeah, it kind of does.”


	17. Illusion

**Anonymous asked: 6 illusion**

Everything about Joey Drew was a lie. A carefully crafted facade he’d built to make sure he would be loved. The charismatic and confident man everyone thought they knew was nothing more than an illusion. 

One could count on one hand the number of people who actually knew how angry and cynical Joey truly was. 

“Why do you do this?” Henry asked one day in Joey’s office. 

They’d just had a meeting with some potential investors and Joey’s showman persona had been out in full force. But the second the investors had left, the persona had dropped and a scowl had returned to Joey’s features. He always seemed to be scowling. 

“Do what?” Joey didn’t even look up from his work. 

“Pretend to be someone you’re not.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Joey laughed, but the sound was hollow. 

Henry sighed, watching his friend with a pitying look. No matter what Joey said, Henry knew he was unhappy like this. He wasn’t happier pretending to be someone he wasn’t. His illusions only served to make him angrier and more alone. 

In the end, his illusions only served to drive Henry away from him as well.


	18. Chapter 18

**[arcadequeerz](https://arcadequeerz.tumblr.com/) asked: hey friendo! If your taking writing prompts atm- would you be willing to do some writing based off the dancing stuff i made tht post bout senry- and on tht tags of that one post? Thnk u sm!!(if your not takin writing prompts at this time feel free to ignore this!)**

YES

Also, [here](https://arcadequeerz.tumblr.com/post/611100596859289600/jus-a-lil-more-on-stuff-from-the-tags-on-this-post) is the post just for posterity and for those who might be confused.

* * *

Joey Drew Studios was having a company party.

Everyone had expected that it would be boring, filled with awkward small-talk and Joey boasting and preening. But it was actually turning out to be rather fun. There was music, good food, alcohol, and Joey was thankfully absent. Quite a lot of employees were dancing together in the middle of the room on what had been deemed the ‘dance floor’.

Henry was off to the side, sticking to the periphery and sipping at his drink. He wasn’t much of a dancer. He’d always been teased about his lack of rhythm and coordination every time he tried and he was in no rush to be mocked once more. No one really noticed this.

Except for Sammy.

Sammy had similarly been sticking to the sidelines, but for a different reason. Sammy was an excellent dancer, as anyone who had seen him dance would tell you, but tonight he had a specific person he wanted to dance with. And that was Henry. He’d been a bit nervous about asking Henry to dance but the alcohol he’d drunk was making him feel much more confident.

He made his way across the party, gently pushing past other employees, to stand before Henry. His heart was pounding in his chest, but he still held his hand out and smiled. The way he blocked the light from the fluorescent lightbulbs made it look like he had a halo.

“Would you like to dance?” He asked.

Henry blinked, then laughed nervously. “Oh, uh, I’m kind of a lousy dancer,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

“Just follow my lead,” Sammy said, taking his hand.

Before Henry could protest further, Sammy was already pulling him out onto the dance floor. Soon enough, the two of them were engaged in an energetic swing dance.

It was a bit awkward at first, neither wanting to look stupid in front of the other, but it didn’t take long for both of them to lose themselves in the music. They loosened up and began to enjoy themselves.

“See? You’re doing fine!” Sammy laughed as he dipped Henry. Henry felt his face beginning to heat up, although he wasn’t sure whether it was from the exertion or from the dip. His and Sammy’s faces were incredibly close. Almost touching.

“Thanks.” Henry laughed as well, unable to stop himself.

Sammy felt his own face begin to heat up as well. Henry had a wonderful laugh and an even better smile. Seeing him so happy gave Sammy butterflies in his stomach. Henry had the sort of face that was well-suited to smiling. His smiles lit up his face and his laughs shook his whole body.

“You’re welcome,” Sammy managed to stammer out, putting Henry on his feet again. He tried to recover as quickly as he could, going right into twirling Henry, which only made Henry laugh even more.

A good portion of the other employees had stopped what they were doing to watch the two of them. They could tell that something special was happening in front of them. Sammy and Henry were no longer aware of anything going on around them. They only had eyes for each other.

“You owe me ten bucks,” Susie whispered, gently nudging Allison. Allison rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically, drawing out ten dollars to hand over. Upon arriving and seeing Henry in the corner and Sammy watching him, the two of them had made a bet about if Sammy would actually get up the courage to ask Henry to dance or not.

“I’m proud of him,” Allison whispered back as Henry clumsily tried to dip Sammy, which ended with both of them holding each other and giggling.

“Me too,” Susie agreed, sipping at her drink. Alcohol really could work wonders.


	19. Bitty Bertie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bertram gets shrunk down

[@lovelykitten2017](https://tmblr.co/mDHsy-w7utLMuJciBe4nlow) requested a story where it’s Bertram who becomes tiny in response to my Teeny Sammy stories.

* * *

“Mr. Drew, please. This is insulting.”

“But you look so cute!”

Bertram grumbled to himself, sinking down in the plastic seat as Joey continued to move him around in the ride model. Joey had messed up a spell earlier that day and now Bertram was six inches tall. His clothes had shrunk with him, so he didn’t have to worry about being indecent, but Bertram was still rather upset about being stuck like this. 

It was incredibly embarrassing and doing a number on his intimidating reputation. Lacie couldn’t stop laughing every time she looked at him, leading to her excusing herself so as to not upset Bertram further.

Joey had promised he’d find a way to fix this. However, he’d quickly become distracted by the fact that Bertram could now fit into the models that had been made of the rides that would be at Bendyland. 

So now Joey was crouched next to the table where the models were kept, giggling to himself as he moved Bertram around in the model of the Buddy Boris Railway. 

“Mr. Drew, I really would prefer if you worked on finding a way to return me to normal rather than treating me like some sort of doll,” Bertram said. 

“I know, and I will,” Joey replied, waving his free hand in a dismissive manner. “But this is the perfect opportunity to test the models out! You’re small enough to fit in them and you’ll be able to tell if something is wrong!” He gave Bertram a hopeful smile that rather reminded the park designer of a child begging for something from their parent. 

“I…Suppose you have a point,” Bertram conceded. “But once we’ve tested the models, you **are** going to return me to normal.”

“Of course!” Joey said brightly.

The majority of the afternoon was spent “testing” the ride models. It was mostly an excuse for Joey to play around with tiny Bertram and they both knew it. Bertram didn’t want to admit it, but it was actually a lot of fun. It was like being a child again. Still, he didn’t lose sight of his job. 

He informed Joey of any issues he noticed, which Joey write down since Bertram couldn’t really do it himself. Bertram offered a few solutions that Joey similarly wrote down, although he was mostly thinking out loud since he couldn’t hold a pen at the moment.

“Well, this was surprisingly productive,” Bertram remarked when Joey removed him from the models. “However, I would like to be returned to normal now.”

“Of course,” Joey said, setting Bertram down beside the model. “Just give me an hour or so.” He stood up and walked off to bury himself in his books. 

Bertram sat back against the clocktower model, looking around his office. 

“You look like you had fun.” He jumped a bit as Lacie walked up.

“It was…an enjoyable afternoon,” he admitted. “More enjoyable than I’d expected.”

“I’m glad you had a good time,” Lacie chuckled, settling down beside the table. “You were pretty upset earlier. I was worried.”

“Yes, well,” Bertram awkwardly cleared his throat. “I don’t enjoy being looked down upon. Especially in this sort of situation.”

“That’s fair.” Lacie nodded. “Still, you’re pretty cute like this. I could fit you in my pocket.” She grinned, reaching out a finger to tap his head. Bertram felt his face heating up at this. 

He mumbled something about not being cute, but his words lacked any conviction. Lacie’s smile widened and she started laughing again.

“Why don’t I take you down to the octopus ride and you can tell me how it looks?” She suggested. Bertram nodded dumbly, allowing her to pick him up and slide him into the front pocket of his overalls. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.


	20. Chapter 20

**[wilddemonchild22](https://wilddemonchild22.tumblr.com/) asked: HI! Can you pretty please do a prompt where Bendy comes out the ink machine the way he was suppose to be, all cute and cartooned, but cant speak, much to Joey's annoyance, so Henry teaches him sign language? :3**

Oh yeah, sure!

Check out [@a-rae-of-sunshine](https://tmblr.co/mVCygfJ6CjUgWH2MDIzrCog)‘s [Happily Ever After AU](https://a-rae-of-sunshine.tumblr.com/tagged/batim-hea-au) for more sign language Bendy content

* * *

Joey had done it. He’d finally gotten a perfect Bendy to come out of the Ink Machine. He was cute and small, the spitting image of the way he appeared in the cartoons. However, there was a problem.

Bendy couldn’t speak.

It made sense, given that Bendy didn’t talk in the cartoons, but Joey was irritated about it. He’d likely hoped that Bendy would be able to talk so that he could be used in publicity events. Bendy not being able to speak certainly threw a wrench in those plans.

Henry was undeterred by Joey’s frustration with the matter, delighted with the fact that he could now hold and interact with the character he’d created. The fact that Bendy couldn’t communicate with him did put a damper on his enthusiasm, but he had a solution.

“Sign language?” Joey asked incredulously when Henry proposed the idea. “Does he even have enough fingers for that?”

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Henry said. “And if there are issues, I can work with it.”

Joey continued to give him a rather skeptical look, but in the end, he shrugged and conceded to let Henry try it.

And so began Henry’s journey of teaching Bendy sign language. Bendy wasn’t too thrilled with the prospect at first, his personality being that of an impatient child. But once Henry helped him realize this would help the little demon communicate, Bendy was all for it.

He often got frustrated, as children often do, especially when he was having trouble with a certain sign. He was a quick learner, though, and soon enough he was able to sign the names of people he knew. Everyone had a special sign that corresponded to their name and it was a common occurrence for Bendy to run up to someone and do their special sign to get their attention. It was really rather adorable. Even Joey couldn’t help but smile at this.

A lot of people in the studio were learning sign language as well so that they would be able to understand Bendy once he was fluent. Henry often saw little groups practicing while on their breaks. Bendy was especially delighted by this, knowing that people wanted to be able to communicate with him.

“You’re making a lot of progress, bud,” Henry said after one of their lessons, patting Bendy between his horns.

Bendy beamed at the praise, bouncing up and down in joy. Then he stopped, his eyes lighting up, and he flapped his hands in an attempt to get Henry to listen to what he was about to say.

“Hm? What is it, bud?” Henry asked.

Bendy got a serious look on his face and he began to sign. Henry watched as Bendy signed one word, then two, then three.

_I. Love. You._

Henry’s eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat. Tears were welling up in his eyes. Bendy immediately looked concerned, ready to apologize, but Henry stopped him.

“I love you too, Bendy,” Henry said, smiling through his tears as he swept Bendy up into a big hug. Bendy made some happy whistling noises, hugging Henry back.


	21. Blind Bendy

**[wilddemonchild22](https://wilddemonchild22.tumblr.com/) asked: Please could i have a blind or disabled Bendy one shot? Still cute cartooned form, not game form.**

Yeah, sure!

* * *

Henry had run into a unique problem after rescuing Bendy from the studio and returning him to his cartoon form. That problem was that Bendy was blind. Henry wasn’t sure entirely why the now perfect Bendy couldn’t see. There shouldn’t have been any reason for it. But he couldn’t see all the same.

There wasn’t much that could be done about it. So, Henry got to work trying to find ways to accommodate Bendy’s disability. He started asking his friends and neighbors to see if anyone had any experience in helping make things easier for a blind family member.

Boris jumped at the chance to be Bendy’s seeing-eye dog, although, Henry made it clear that this was a serious responsibility. Still, he did look into what qualifications were needed to become a seeing-eye dog to see if it was possible for Boris to become one.

“D’ya think I should wear sunglasses now?” Bendy asked as Henry began drafting a list of accommodations Bendy might need, such as brail books.

“Only if you want to,” Henry replied.

“Mm…I dunno.” Bendy flopped on the table. “It’s not like I need ‘em.”

“Do you want to start using a white cane?” Henry asked, glancing up from his list.

“Mmm…” Bendy flopped more. “I mean, you don’t gotta buy me one. I can just pull one out from hammerspace.”

“Alright.”

Admittedly, Henry did go a bit overboard in trying to figure out how to help Bendy. He didn’t let Bendy go anywhere by himself, panicked far too much when Bendy bumped into household objects. In his attempts to help his son, he ended up treating Bendy like a porcelain figure, which naturally upset the little demon.

“You don’t gotta treat me like I’m gonna break all the time!” Bendy snapped one day. “I can’t see! Big whoop! Doesn’t mean I’m broken!”

Henry felt the shame wash over him.

“I…You’re right,” he said, lowering his head. “I’m sorry. I overreacted. I overcompensated.”

“Yeah, you did.” Bendy folded his arms, face screwed up in an adorable frown. “But I accept your apology. You were only tryin’ to help.”

Henry couldn’t help but smile. “Why don’t you tell me what you need?” He asked.

Bendy’s frown dropped, replaced by an expression of contemplation.

“Well,” he began with a mischievous grin. “I think I need some candy~”

“I don’t think so,” Henry laughed, scooping Bendy up in his arms. “Not before dinner.”

“Aw, c’mon!” Bendy groaned, squirming in Henry’s arms. “I’ve been good!”

“Yes, but you’ll spoil your dinner if you eat candy right now.” Henry patted his head. “Now come on. I’ve got some new books for you.”

Bendy stopped his complaining for the moment, excited by the prospect of new stories to read. He’d picked up braille rather quickly and devoured books quicker than Henry could find them.

Henry still had a great deal to learn about helping Bendy, but he felt like he had a better idea of how to help now. 


	22. Blind Bendy 2

**[hopeless-noodle](https://hopeless-noodle.tumblr.com/) asked: Please could we get another blind!Bendy one-shot?**

Of course!

* * *

“Hey, Ben?”

“Hm?”

“Does it bother you that you can’t see?”

“I dunno.”

Bendy and Boris were sitting in the bedroom that Henry had designated as theirs. Bendy was laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, while Boris sat with his back against the bed.

“Why’re you askin’ anyway?” Bendy asked.

“I dunno.” Boris shrugged. “I was just wondering. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to not be able to see.” He wondered a lot about what it was like for Bendy to suddenly not be able to see. He’d been able to see in the cartoons but he couldn’t now. Boris worried about how that affected the little demon.

“I mean, you just can’t see. That’s it,” Bendy said. “Not much to say.”

“Okay.”

They lapsed into silence. Bendy listened to the ticking of the cat clock on the wall. Henry had let him feel it before he’d hung it up so that Bendy would be able to picture it in his head while he listened to it.

“What’s braille like?” Boris asked.

“Whaddaya mean?” Bendy turned his head toward him.

“Umm…” Boris screwed his face up in thought. “I mean, what’s it like to read braille?”

“Well, it’s like normal reading, but instead of seeing it with your eyes you gotta feel it with your hands,” Bendy explained.

“That sounds pretty cool,” Boris said.

He’d been pretty confused about braille when Henry had first explained it to him. He couldn’t imagine having to learn _**another**_ alphabet to read. Learning one alphabet had been hard enough. And yet, Bendy had done it.

“Yeah, I guess it is.” Bendy puffed up a bit. “Y’know, I can hear way better now than I could before.”

“You can?” Boris turned around to lean on the bed, eyes wide.

“Yeah.” Bendy nodded sagely. “I’m like a bat.”

Boris stared intently at him, the wheels turning in his mind. “Wanna test how good your hearing is now?” 

“What’re you proposin’?” Bendy asked, a grin spreading across his face.

“I wanna throw stuff at you and see if you can hear it and catch it,” Boris replied, his tail beginning to wag.

Bendy considered this for a moment. “Yeah, sure!”

“Awesome!” Boris jumped up. “Let’s go!”

Together, he and Bendy scrambled down the stairs to the living room. They were about to break a lot of stuff.


	23. Wally's Baby Pictures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A story for an AU from @lovelykitten2017 on Tumblr

[@lovelykitten2017](https://tmblr.co/mDHsy-w7utLMuJciBe4nlow) asked if I could write something for their family AU, where Wally is Bertram’s son from a previous marriage.

[Helen](https://lovelykitten2017.tumblr.com/post/190473984790/lovelykitten2017-introducing-helen-my-best) belongs to [@chaostheparrot](https://tmblr.co/m2jCvFBbvOxqmgdEDtLRGng)

* * *

Upon first glance, one wouldn’t think that Bertram Piedmont and Wally Franks were related. The two of them were different in nearly every way. Bertram was calm, composed, dignified. Wally was, well, _Wally_. But they were, in fact, father and son, related by blood. 

Wally was Helen and Lacie’s son as well, although not related to the two of them by blood. That hardly mattered, though, as they loved him dearly. Wally had been especially excited when Bertram had married the two of them as it meant that he now had two moms, which meant twice the love.

Their family wasn’t perfect, but they were happy together.

That day, Lacie and Helen were out running errands, which left Bertram and Wally at home. Wally was in the attic, just going through some of the boxes. They’d been talking about doing some spring cleaning and clearing out some of the old things they didn’t use anymore.

It was in one of those boxes that Wally found something he hadn’t seen before.

“Hey, Pop?”

“Yes?” Bertram looked up from his book to see a cobweb-covered Wally holding an old and faded book. 

“I found this in one of the boxes in the attic,” Wally said, walking over to present the book to Bertram. “What is it?”

“Why, that’s your baby book,” Bertram replied with a big smile. 

“My baby book?” Wally echoed with a small frown.

“Yes.” Bertram put down his book, moving to the couch and patting the space beside him. “I’ll show you.”

Wally sat down beside him, moving closer in the way he had when he’d been young and Bertram had read him stories. 

“I made this after you were born,” Bertram explained. “It has your weight, pictures, footprints.” As he spoke, he flipped through the book, pointing at various things. 

The book was full of photographs of a baby Wally, along with various information about him at his birth. Weight, height. His footprints from when he’d first been born. The only photo of baby Wally with his eyes closed was the photo of him right after being born. The rest showed him with his eyes open, looking around with a big smile on his chubby features. 

“You were such an energetic baby,” Bertram sighed, a soft smile on his face. “I suppose some things never change.”

“Whaddaya mean?” Wally asked, leaning closer. Bertram didn’t tell all that many stories about Wally as a baby.

“You were always trying to investigate everything. I’d turn around for a second and you’d find some way to get into trouble,” Bertram laughed. 

“Sounds kinda like now.” Wally couldn’t help but laugh a bit as well. He certainly did have a habit of getting himself into trouble whether he meant to or not.

“And just like now, your energy knew no bounds.” Bertram put an arm around Wally’s shoulder pulling him close. “It was a momentous task getting you to sit still even for a moment.”

He pointed out a few blurry photos that looked as though they’d been taken in motion depicting Wally crawling away from the camera.

“You did not like posing for pictures, unfortunately.” Bertram chuckled as he got to the picture he’d taken for Wally’s first birthday. 

Baby Wally had been stuffed into a little sailor suit and did not look happy about it. He had the cutest little pout on his face, his tiny hands curled up in fists. 

“You threw such a tantrum when I put you in this outfit,” Bertram said, gazing fondly at the photograph. “As soon as I was finished taking the photograph, you immediately wriggled out of it and ran off to play naked in the garden. Getting you to put some other clothes back on was almost impossible.”

“Sounds like I was kinda a nuisance,” Wally laughed nervously.

While he tried not to let the things people said get to him, it was hard to ignore some of the comments. Especially when they focused on how uncouth and immature they thought him to be.

“You were **not** a nuisance,” Bertram said firmly, squeezing Wally against him again. “Children are difficult to raise, especially when you’re a single parent, but I would never call you a nuisance.” He ruffled Wally’s hair a bit. “Raising you is one of the things I’m most proud of.”

“Really?” Wally’s voice went quiet as he gazed up at his father. “You’re proud of me?” He was a **janitor**. It wasn’t exactly the sort of job he expected a parent would be proud of their child for having. 

“Of course!” Bertram pulled back, putting his hands on Wally’s shoulders. “I couldn’t be more proud of the man you’ve become, my boy.” He had a soft smile on his face, the sort of expression that was reserved only for Lacie, Helen, and Wally.

“Pop…” Wally felt his face getting warm and he hid a bit behind his cloud of hair. “You’re embarrasin’ me.”

“Well, that **is** my job,” Bertram said brightly, patting Wally’s back. “Your mothers’ too. Speaking of them, I expect they’d probably like to see this.” 

“Aw, they’re totally gonna tease me about this stuff!!” Wally groaned, covering his face. 

“They most certainly will.” Bertram’s smile widened to one of more mischievous proportions.

“I’m goin’ back to the attic.” Wally got to his feet, scrambling out of the room to retreat to the attic so he could hide when his mothers returned and saw his dreaded baby pictures. 

Bertram laughed to himself as he picked the book up again, flipping through the pages. He ended up landing on the photograph of the first time he’d gotten to hold Wally. He still remembered that moment even now. Wally had been so small, so vulnerable. And when he’d opened his eyes, Bertram had never felt that sort of love for anything before. 

He smiled softly, touching the picture. He loved this family he’d created. He wouldn’t trade it for the world.


	24. Chapter 24

**Anonymous asked: You're a really great writer! Do you think you could write aromantic Sammy in a queer-platonic relationship with Susie?**

Sure!

I hope you like it!

* * *

Everyone in the studio assumed that Sammy and Susie were dating. It was easy to assume that this was true when looking at them. They spent a lot of time together. They had keys to each other’s houses. They went out to eat together quite often. They comforted one another when they were upset. They were even physically affectionate toward one another.

But they weren’t dating. Mostly because Sammy was aromantic.

However, that didn’t mean they didn’t love each other. They loved each other immensely. It was just a platonic love. Many who knew them and knew they weren’t dating expressed some confusion at this. The two of them were closer than friends and people assumed that the next step up would be romantic partners.

Sammy continued to be offended that his love for Susie was deemed “lesser” simply because he didn’t want to date her. Susie was equally offended, but for different reasons. She resented the fact that it was assumed that a man and a woman couldn’t be friends.

Sometimes it got a bit tiring to constantly explain themselves, though, and they just ignored everyone. They were happy with their relationship.

“I have to go to another one of Joey’s dumb parties,” Susie groaned, flopping bonelessly onto Sammy’s back.

It was something she did quite often whenever she had something she wanted to complain to someone about. If there was one person she could count on for a good complaining session, it was Sammy.

“Do you need a date?” Sammy asked, not even looking up from his paperwork.

“Not this time. I’m supposed to be accompanying Joey as his date.” She made a fake gagging sound at the idea of having to be Joey’s date.

“So you’re just here to complain?”

“Yep.”

“Well then.” Sammy pulled out a chair. “Complain away.”

“Why thank you.” Susie settled down in the chair and started in. “It’s going to be horrible, I just know it is. He’s throwing it for his horrid investor friends. Allison’s supposed to go too.”

“Can’t imagine Connor will be happy about that,” Sammy snorted.

“ _Allison’s_ not happy about it,” Susie said, leaning back in the chair with a scowl. “There’s no reason we even need to be there. It doesn’t have to do with our jobs at all! I think he just wants to use us as eye candy.”

“That certainly sounds like something Joey would do.”

“So now I have to go to this dumb party and pretend I don’t want to murder all of them with a fork.” Susie threw her hands in the air. “It’s going to be awful!”

“It does sound like it’ll be awful,” Sammy agreed.

“Can you pick me up afterward so I can vent about it?” Susie asked, flopping onto his back again.

“Your place or mine?” Sammy replied without a second thought.

“Mm…Yours. I wanna pet your cat.”

“Alright.”

“Then it’s a date!” Susie clapped her hands together, beaming.

“It’s a date.” Sammy nodded, smiling slightly.

“See you later!” Susie kissed his cheek and skipped out.

Sammy’s smile widened and he put down his pen, picking up his banjo from beside the desk. He was looking forward to hearing Susie tear into those pompous investors.


	25. Chapter 25

**[chibicharmie](https://chibicharmie.tumblr.com/) asked: Hi. I don't know if your still doing fic requests. But if you are, can you do a Grant x Thomas fic where Grant has a nightmare about being abandoned while Thomas has a nightmare about losing Grant and they both have to comfort each other when they wake up?**

Oooh. This is good.

I’m gonna do this for after they got out of the studio.

* * *

Nightmares were rather common among the former employees of Joey Drew Studios. After what they had been through, it was only natural that there would be lasting trauma. Not a single night passed without someone waking up screaming over a nightmare they had had.

That night, in one of the guest bedrooms of the Stein residence, Grant was having a nightmare.

_He was alone._

_He had looked everywhere, the Music Department, the Bendyland Warehouse, the Administration floor, but no one was there. No people, no ink creatures, no monsters. No one._

_The studio was abandoned._

_There was only him._

_“ **Someone? Please, is someone there?** ” He called._

_No one answered._

_“ **Please, don’t leave me alone!** ” He begged. He was on the verge of tears._

_No matter how much he screamed or yelled, though, no one came._

_He was all alone._

_They’d left him. Everyone had left him._

_Even Tom had abandoned him. The one person he’d thought he could count on had left him here by himself._

_“ **Was it something I did?** ” He called out to the empty studio._

_It had to be his fault. It had to be. Why else would they all have left unless it was his fault?_

_It was his fault. It was all his fault._

Meanwhile, Tom was having a nightmare of his own.

_He was in the studio again, running through the hallways. He had to get to Grant. Grant was in danger._

_But the hallway seemed neverending. No matter how fast he ran, he never seemed to get any closer._

_He could hear Grant screaming and Joey’s maniacal laughter._

_He tried to run faster, but it was no use. He wasn’t going to reach Grant in time. He wasn’t going to be able to save Grant._

_Grant’s screaming and Joey’s laughter got louder and louder as the hallway stretched longer and longer._

They both woke up at about the same time, both in similar states of distress. Grant was crying and Tom was breathing heavily and sweating.

The two of them were sleeping together on a mattress on the ground. Almost immediately upon waking up, Grant latched into Tom’s side, sobbing hysterically.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Tom asked, trying to calm himself enough to comfort Grant.

“I-I had a nightmare,” Grant said through his tears. “T-That everybody a-abandoned m-me.”

Tom sighed, pulling Grant closer and rubbing his back.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“I was a-alone,” Grant sniffled, burying his face in Tom’s chest. “There was n-nobody.”

“You’re not alone.” Tom kept rubbing Grant’s back. “I’m here for you.” Grant could feel Tom’s low voice reverberating in his chest. Grant loved Tom’s voice, especially when he spoke quietly. And he sounded wonderful when he sang.

“I’m here,” Tom repeated.

Grant closed his eyes, listening to Tom’s heartbeat and taking deep breaths. Through this, he managed to calm himself down. Then he noticed something. Tom’s heartbeat sounded a bit fast.

“Are **you** okay?” Grant asked, still sniffling a bit.

“I’m fine,” Tom said quickly. His heartbeat sped up again.

“I’m here for you too,” Grant said, reaching up to put a hand on Tom’s face. Tom looked away, hunching his shoulders.

“Tom.” Grant drew, back his expression solemn. “Bottling up your feelings like this isn’t good for you. You know that.”

Tom lowered his shoulders a bit, although he still wouldn’t look at Grant.

“I had a nightmare too,” he admitted. “About the night you got…You know…”

Grant’s expression softened. “It wasn’t your fault, Tom.”

“I know, I just…” Tom trailed off, sighing heavily. “I should’ve done more.”

“Hey.” Grant took Tom’s face in both his hands, forcing Tom to look at him. “It wasn’t your fault. I want you to say it.”

“It wasn’t my fault,” Tom said slowly.

“Good.” Grant smiled and gave him a hug. Tom hesitated, then hugged Grant back.

They stayed sitting there for a long time, holding each other until they were calm enough to go back to sleep.


	26. Chapter 26

**Anonymous asked: Possible prompt: sammy finds himself having and unexpected visitor during a late-night piano session. Or, Grant sees if he can still play piano. (Everyones Saved Au, Grant x Sammy, pre-relationship) bonus if grant is playing the piano to help recover some fine motor-skills post-studio 👀**

I am all for this

* * *

Sammy woke up to someone playing the piano. Not very well, admittedly, but playing it nonetheless.

Sammy had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room where the piano was kept. He’d been trying to compose again and so had wanted to stay near the piano to see how the compositions sounded. He hadn’t gotten too far with it, falling asleep midway through the first line.

He hadn’t expected anyone would try playing the piano while he was there. Everyone was still rather scared of him after all he’d done at the studio. He didn’t want to admit it, but that hurt. His heart swelled a bit as he heard the clumsy attempts at playing.

He sat up, trying to blink away the sleep. It was still dark outside and the room was bathed in shadow, with only a single desk lamp on the piano illuminating the room. As such, the figure at the piano was reduced to a silhouette by the light in front of them.

Trying to be quiet, Sammy got up from the couch, creeping over to stand beside the player. Every creak of every old floorboard made him freeze, but his guest didn’t even notice.

As it turned out, it was Grant sitting at the piano.

He sat hunched over, face twisted in concentration as he pressed the keys one by one. His hands shook as they hovered above the keyboard. His hands had been shaky ever since they’d escaped from the studio. All of them were still trying to get used to their human bodies again. Grant especially had to get used to having only two arms again.

“Need some help?” Sammy asked.

Grant let out a shriek, almost falling off the piano bench.

“I’m sorry.” Sammy couldn’t help but chuckle. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He put a hand on Grant’s shoulder. “What are you doing down here so late?”

“I…I thought maybe playing the piano might help me get my fine motor functions back,” Grant said, clearing his throat awkwardly as his cheeks turned red. “Unfortunately, it seems I’m not as good as I once was…” He trailed off, staring at his shaking hands.

Before the studio’s downfall, Grant had been a rather proficient piano player. Sammy had discovered this when he’d heard the sound of the piano coming from the band room late one night when he’d stayed after hours. Grant had also stayed after hours and had taken that opportunity to let off some steam with a song. It had been a pleasant surprise that had brought both of them a bit closer together.

“Maybe I can help,” Sammy said, sitting down next to him.

“I don’t see how you could.” Grant let out an irritated huff, scowling at the piano. “I’ve been at this for at least an hour.”

To his surprise, Sammy put his hands over Grant’s and began to play, guiding him through the motions. Grant’s face went even redder as Sammy helped him play. The warmth of Sammy’s skin on his, the feeling of Sammy’s long fingers draped over his own.

Grant had always had a bit of a crush on Sammy, although he’d kept it under wraps. He’d known Joey would absolutely use it against him. Besides, Grant’s tendency had always been to bottle his feelings up and not deal with them until it was convenient for him. He’d always been painfully awkward, unable to confess his feelings to people. That hadn’t changed.

“What is this song?” Grant asked, trying to distract himself from their close proximity.

“It’s just a song I came up with,” Sammy said. “I don’t really have a name for it.” His eyes were hooded and his expression was determined as he focused on the notes. He looked rather handsome, especially with his long hair out of its usual ponytail.

“It’s very nice,” Grant mumbled.

“Thank you.” Sammy smiled and Grant’s heart skipped a beat.

“Do you think you could keep helping me with this?” He asked, avoiding looking at Sammy. “This piano thing, I mean. I do think it would help with my motor skills.”

“Sure,” Sammy replied. “I’m happy to get back into music.”

“Thank you.” Grant ventured a look back at Sammy, allowing himself to smile slightly. Sammy looked so soft like this, so gentle. He felt honored that he got to see Sammy in this light.

For the moment, he turned his attention back to the piano, allowing himself to momentarily lose himself in the music.


	27. Joey x Henry Angst

**[loverofallarts12](https://loverofallarts12.tumblr.com/) asked: If you are taking fic requests, could I have some Joey x Henry angst?**

Sure!

* * *

Joey had always had a crush on Henry.

From the moment he’d first laid eyes on Henry, he’d been head over heels for the other man. Henry was so wonderful, so kind, so creative.

He’d kept his feelings secret at first, until one night during their year of college when a night of drinking for Henry’s birthday had ended with him drunkenly confessing. To his relief, Henry had accepted his feelings.

The two of them began a relationship in secret after that. Those days were the ones that Joey remembered in his darkest moments. Those days of holding hands when they were alone, of stolen kisses and secret glances. Joey was happier than he’d ever been before during that time.

He loved Henry so much. Even now, he still loved him. Or he thought he did. In truth, it wasn’t love. Not in the way Joey thought it was. It was something incredibly unhealthy. As the years went by, his ‘love’ turned into something more like an obsession.

In the beginning, though, it was simply an unhealthy attachment.

Things got worse when the studio opened. Joey became demanding, pushing more and more work onto Henry. He took and took and took and never gave. Henry, in his infinite patience, took it as long as he could. But even he had a breaking point.

During the time between college and the studio opening, Henry had become friends with a woman named Linda. She didn’t know that Joey and Henry were secretly dating, but she could tell their relationship wasn’t a good one.

“He’s using you, Henry,” she told him.

“He doesn’t mean to,” Henry tried to insist, but Linda cut him off.

“It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t mean to,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “He **is**. You need to talk to him.”

“But what do I say?” Henry asked.

“Tell him that he needs to give as much as he takes,” Linda replied.

And so Henry did. He went to Joey and told him that he wasn’t happy with their partnership. He wasn’t happy with their relationship either. They hadn’t had time to be together due to all the work piled on Henry. Not to mention, Joey had begun flirting with almost everyone who came into the studio.

Henry didn’t consider himself a jealous man, but it hurt to see Joey flirting with everyone and ignoring him whenever he wasn’t piling work on him. Joey popped in every so often, kind and compassionate, assuring Henry that he couldn’t do this without him. That Henry was the most amazing partner he could ever have. But these small moments weren’t enough to outweigh the work, the long hours, Joey’s constant flirting.

Henry was tired. He knew Linda was right. He **felt** like he was being used. So he went to talk to Joey.

The conversation didn’t go well.

Joey felt threatened and lashed out.

“Don’t you trust me, Henry?!”

“This isn’t about trust,” Henry sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I just feel like you’re asking too much of me. It’s not a two-way relationship. I give and you take.”

Joey’s expression darkened. “That **_woman_** put these ideas in your head, didn’t she?” He growled.

“Yes, yes she did,” Henry snapped back. “And she’s right! You’re using me for my work!”

“I would never do that, Henry.” The darkness vanished from Joey’s face and he looked genuinely hurt. “I couldn’t do this without you, Henry. I love you.”

“Then why do you flirt with literally everyone?” Henry demanded. “Why do you ignore me all the time? Why do you pile all this work on me without even asking if I can handle it?” He was in tears now. He was just so tired and frustrated.

“Henry, I’m sorry.” Joey walked out from behind his desk to stand in front of Henry.

“I do all the work and you take all the credit!” Henry yelled, slapping away the hand that Joey extended toward him. “Do you even love me, Joey?!”

“Of course I do!” Anger clouded Joey’s features. “That woman’s poisoned your mind! You need to stop listening to her!”

“She’s the one who made me realize that this wasn’t working!”

“She’s poison!”

It only devolved from there. Everyone in the studio could hear the screaming match that followed. It ended with Henry storming out after yelling that they were through and Joey drinking in his office for the rest of the day. He yelled at anyone who came in.

Henry quit the very next day, and Joey spent the next 30 years obsessing over him. Even as Henry moved on, made a family, Joey remained fixated on the past.


	28. Henry Chews Out The Ink Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry discovers the Ink Demon is, in fact, Joey and decides to give his friend a piece of his mind

**[wilddemonchild22](https://wilddemonchild22.tumblr.com/) asked: Could you please do a one shot where Henry (While in the game) finds out Joey is in fact Ink Bendy and tries to get his friend back?**

OOOH!! THIS IS SO COOL!!

Warning, this has a bunch of swearing. Because Henry is tired and absolutely done with Joey’s BS.

* * *

Henry had assumed that the Ink Demon chasing him was nothing more than a monster. Sure, it seemed as though it had sapience, but he’d assumed it was just a monster. He’d hoped it had never been human.

This hope, however, was dashed when Alice made an offhanded comment during the cut-out destroying errand.

“You know, Joey always was in love with that grinning demon,” her voice crackled from the speakers in the elevator. “It’s only fair he ended up becoming it!” She then broke off into maniacal laughter.

“Wait, the Ink Demon is Joey?” Henry asked, looking abruptly up at the speakers.

“Who else could that thing be?” Alice sneered.

“Did you know about this?” Henry looked over at Boris.

Boris made a ‘so-so’ gesture. Many in the studio had had their suspicions, but no one knew for sure. Sammy sure as Hell didn’t know. He wouldn’t follow the Ink Demon if he knew it was actually Joey.

Henry let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. Of course Joey would end up turning himself into a demon when left alone. He had to talk to him. He didn’t know if he could get Joey to see reason, not after the shit he’d pulled, but he certainly wanted to give Joey a piece of his mind. Who knew? Maybe he could even snap Joey out of whatever megalomaniacal mindset he was in.

When the elevator reached the Heavenly Toys level, Henry strode out with grim determination. Boris let out a whimper, trying to drag Henry back. He could tell from the look in Henry’s eyes what he was about to do.

“Do you really think you can get through to him?” Alice asked as he made his way up the stairs and through the winding halls. “I’m assuming that’s what you’re going to try.” Her tone was sickly sweet, dripping with condescension.

“I’m going to give him a piece of my mind,” Henry replied. Worst case scenario, if Joey killed him, he’d just spawn back at a Bendy statue. There wasn’t any harm in going and chewing him out.

“And you think he’ll listen?” Alice asked. She sounded surprised now, the condescension vanishing in the face of Henry’s stubborn determination.

“I’m going to **make** him listen.”

Alice was silent for a long time. When she spoke again, her voice was soft.

“He’s going to kill you,” she whispered. “There’s no way to get through to him anymore.”

“I’ll be fine.” Henry turned to the speakers, giving them a weary smile. “I’ve been through worse.”

Alice said nothing more.

Henry went to the entrance of the Heavenly Toys area, where most of the cutouts were. He usually started here when destroying the cutouts so he could work his way back and hop in the elevator as soon as he’d destroyed the last one. Not to mention, there were a good number of cutouts and a Miracle Station right there to hide in when the Ink Demon came looking.

Henry wasn’t going to hide this time, though. No, this time he was going to stand his ground and give his friend the tongue-lashing he so rightly deserved. He ambled over to the cutouts by the couch and, with a few casual swings, broke them into pieces. Then he sat down on the couch and waited.

It didn’t take long for the Ink Demon to appear, the ink veins creeping across the walls as Henry’s own heartbeat filled his ears. The Ink Demon pulled itself from an ink spot in the wall, spotting Henry and letting out the usual screech.

“About time,” Henry said, getting to his feet.

The Ink Demon had been about to charge but hesitated when it saw Henry didn’t seem to be panicking the way he usually did.

“So, Joey.” Henry dusted himself off, resting his ax against the couch. “I think we need to have a talk.”

The Ink Demon stared at him, head tilted to the side.

“I understand that you probably aren’t going to listen and you’re probably just going to kill me,” Henry said. “But I’m gonna do this anyway.” He took a deep breath then threw his hands in the air. “WHAT THE FUCK, JOEY?!”

The Ink Demon recoiled at Henry’s yell, startled by this sudden retaliation.

“Why the Hell would you pull this shit?!” Henry demanded, gesturing at the studio around them. “You killed people, Joey! You turned them into monsters! **You’re** a monster now! _Why_ would you do this?!”

The Ink Demon didn’t say anything but did let out a mournful moan. Henry wasn’t even sure if it _could_ talk anymore.

“Look, I know you always considered me your moral compass or whatever, but I shouldn’t have to be there all the time to hold your hand like you’re some fucking toddler who doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong,” Henry continued. “You’re a grown-ass man. I **know** you know the difference between right and wrong.”

The Ink Demon seemed to be getting smaller the more Henry chewed it out, especially since Henry had stalked over to it now, standing right in front of it.

“I know you’d probably tell me that none of this would have happened if I’d stayed, but we both know you still would have done this. The only difference is that you would have probably killed me and turned me into _this_ instead.” Henry jabbed a finger into its bony chest.

The Ink Demon lowered its head, letting out a quiet, “ ** _S̛o.̶.͢.̧r͠r̵y.̢.̡._** ”

“You better be,” Henry said. “Now, you’re going to help me fix this, do you understand?”

“ _ **Y̢es.̧.͠.**_ ”

“Alright, let’s go.” Henry started back toward the elevator, the Ink Demon following behind him.


	29. Chapter 29

**Anonymous asked: If your taking writing prompts, how about one where Henry walks Grant home from work one night? (Can be written as platonic or romantic for Grant x Henry.)**

Yeah, sure! I’ll do it for a platonic relationship.

Featuring [@insane-control-room](https://tmblr.co/mJlb-vW43NaJNACvfy09WfA)‘s OC Sori, who I adore.

* * *

Grant, Henry, and Sammy were some of the worst workaholics at Joey Drew Studios. Sammy had Susie and Jack to keep him from overworking himself too much, which meant it fell to Grant and Henry to keep each other from collapsing. They checked in on each other, made sure the other had eaten, made sure the other went home at a reasonable time. They looked out for one another. They both did this for Sammy as well, but Susie and Jack usually beat them to it, so they mostly just did it for each other.

Which was exactly what Henry was doing that night.

It was a little after 6, which meant that it was time for everyone to clock out and head home. It was a Friday, so most of the other employees had already clocked out, eager to start their weekend. Henry was headed down to Grant’s office to make sure Grant was about to clock out. Grant had been working a lot of overtime that week and Henry wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to try and work overtime that day too.

“Knock knock,” Henry said, opening the door to Grant’s office. “It’s time to clock out.”

“I’m almost done, just give me a minute,” Grant replied, nose still buried in his paperwork.

“You can save it for Monday.” Henry crossed the room, putting a hand on Grant’s shoulder. “You’ve been working a lot of late nights this week, Grant. You deserve a break.”

Grant began to protest, only to have his words cut off by a yawn. Henry stifled a laugh behind his hand.

“Alright, I guess you have a point.” Grant couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Give me a second.”

He put away his work and put on his coat. Together, he and Henry clocked out and began to walk home.

“Sori will be happy you dragged me out of the studio,” Grant said as they walked. “She’s been pretty angry at me for working late all this week.”

“Well, you do work way too hard sometimes,” Henry replied, slinging an arm around Grant’s shoulder. “It’s only natural she’d be upset about you pushing yourself too far.”

“That’s true.” Grant laughed wearily. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

There was silence for a moment or two while they walked, then Grant added, “I’m glad I’ll be able to have dinner with her tonight.”

“I’m sure she’ll be happy to have dinner with you too,” Henry agreed, patting Grant’s back.

“And Linda will be happy to have dinner with you.” Grant directed a smirk Henry’s way. Immediately, Henry’s face went a bit red and he withdrew his arm.

The two of them were both equally guilty of working too hard and forgetting their wives. And they were both equally guilty of feeling incredibly bad afterward.

“I guess that was me calling the kettle black, huh?” Henry laughed.

“Maybe.”

There was another lapse of silence, the two of them walking side by side, before Grant spoke once again.

“Are you and Linda coming over for Passover this year?”

“If it’s alright with you and Sori,” Henry replied.

“I wouldn’t be extending the invitation if it wasn’t alright.”

“Fair enough.”

Henry tucked his hands into the pockets of his pants, smiling to himself. “Well, I’ll look forward to it.”

The rest of the walk to Grant’s house was spent discussing plans and sharing updates about each other’s families. Henry’s daughter Ruth was in a school play, which meant Henry and Linda had been rather busy helping her learn her lines and make her costume. Grant and Sori, meanwhile, had been going on dates to museums when they had the time. Grant loved walking through the museum corridors with her. He loved spending any time with her, in all honesty.

Finally, they reached Grant’s house. The lights were on in the windows and Grant could see Sori’s silhouette on the other side of the curtains.

“Should I go now?” Henry asked.

“No, Sori will want to thank you.” Grant shook his head, already walking up to the door. Henry shrugged and followed.

Grant reached the door and knocked twice. The door didn’t open immediately as Sori made her way to the door. Then it opened and Grant was greeted with his wife’s face.

“Sora’le.” Grant’s face lit up upon seeing Sori in the doorway, backlit by the light coming in from the house. 

“You’re just in time for dinner.” Sori lit up as well at seeing Grant standing there.

“He was going to try and work late, but I told him he needed to go home,” Henry piped up.

“You’ve been working too hard this week.” Sori scolded Grant, although there was still softness in her expression.

“I know I know.” Grant nodded sheepishly.

“Well, get in here.” Sori gestured for Grant to come in. “I have soup ready.”

“Thank you.” Grant kissed her cheek and walked in, gingerly taking off his shoes before heading to the kitchen.

Sori turned to Henry. “Thank you for bringing him home,” she said.

“You’re welcome.” Henry smiled. “It was the least I could do.”

Then Sori went back inside and Henry departed for his own home.


	30. Chapter 30

**[wilddemonchild22](https://wilddemonchild22.tumblr.com/) asked: Could I pretty please have a Smol Wally x Muscley Thomas oneshot?**

Sure.

This got a bit sappy. ^^”

* * *

Wally was a pretty small guy in terms of height. In terms of body type he was…less small. He’d always been what his mother would call ‘husky’. Which was a nice way of saying he was kind of chubby. He was a little insecure about his body sometimes, especially in comparison to his boyfriend.

Tom was built like a tree. He was tall and solid, with the sort of muscle that came from a job that required physical labor. He was also pretty handsome, looking like a statue come to life with his chiseled jaw, strong nose, and curly black hair. He was way out of Wally’s league and Wally knew it.

A lot of things about Tom made Wally insecure. Tom was professional and smart. Wally was the studio idiot. Wally wasn’t jealous of Tom, far from it. He thought Tom was amazing. But he worried about what people would think of them together. He worried people would point out how far out of his league Tom was. He worried Tom would realize what a joke he was.

Susie and Allison both agreed that the two of them were an adorable couple, especially since Allison had been the one to set them up in the first place. But Wally still worried.

He hadn’t told Tom any of this, not wanting to bother him. He tried to keep up a sunny facade as much as he could. He’d convinced himself that his problems weren’t important. However, it eventually became too much, and he needed to confess his feelings.

“You aren’t embarrassed to be seen with me, are ya?” Wally asked one night after they’d gotten home from work.

It had been, admittedly, a rough day. More pipes had burst than usual and Wally had actually broken a few. He’d been almost in tears due to his own frustration and the other employees yelling at him.

“‘Course not,” Tom replied, taking off his ink-stained shirt and depositing it in the laundry hamper.

“Are you sure?” Wally asked. He was hovering in the doorway to the bedroom, still wearing his ink-covered clothing.

“I’m pretty sure,” Tom laughed, turning back to face him. “Why’re you asking?”

“Well, y’know…” Wally lowered his head, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

“No, I don’t know.” Tom’s laughter abruptly stopped, his expression becoming solemn. “Is something wrong?” He leaned down, lifting Wally’s face and cradling it in his hands. Wally was starting to cry.

“I’m…I’m pathetic,” Wally sniffled.

“Why would you say that?” Tom’s severe expression softened. “You’re not pathetic.”

“But I am!” Wally’s tears began to stream down his face. “I’m always messing stuff up, I’m not smart, I’m ugly!” He started to wail, all his emotions bubbling up and spilling out. “You deserve so much better than me!”

Tom sighed, gathering Wally against his chest. He allowed the smaller man to sob and wail until he tired himself out. It took a while since Wally clearly had a lot of pent up emotions.

“You feeling better?” Tom asked when Wally had stopped crying.

“Yeah, a little.” Wally sniffled again.

“Good.” Tom pulled back, although he still kept his arms around Wally. “Have you been feeling like that for a long time?”

“…Kinda.” Wally looked sheepishly away.

Tom sighed heavily, brushing some hair out of Wally’s face. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine,” Wally mumbled, still avoiding looking at Tom.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Tom said, pulling Wally closer again. “You’re a wonderful person, Wally. You’re the farthest thing from pathetic.”

“Aw, c’mon. You’re gonna make me blush!” Wally squirmed a bit, laughing nervously.

“I mean it.”

Wally felt his face getting warm and he quickly hid his face in Tom’s chest. He could take compliments fine most of the time, but getting them from Tom always reduced him to a blushing mess. Tom wasn’t the sort of person who went on at length. His words were carefully chosen and always held meaning.

Tom couldn’t help but laugh to himself as Wally hid.

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up,” Wally grumbled.

“You’re very cute,” Tom said, kissing the top of his head. “Like a little teddy bear.”

“Now you’re just trying to embarrass me!” Wally protested, although he did like the comparison.

Tom let him go, allowing Wally to stumble away and pout dramatically as he shrugged off his ink-covered clothes. Tom laughed to himself again. He’d never met anyone quite like Wally before, and he didn’t think he ever would. That was fine with him, though. He didn’t want anyone else.


	31. Chapter 31

**Anonymous asked:** “Aw, I always knew you could be a romantic! How dare you hide this from me!” With Dot and Buddy.

Oh, this is gonna be cute.

* * *

Buddy had planned a surprise for Dot for Valentine’s Day. They’d only really just started dating and he wanted to make this Valentine’s Day special. However, given he was low on funds, he couldn’t do anything too lavish. Still, he wanted to do something for her.

So, he went to his mother and asked her for some help making some sort of dessert to take to Dot. His mother was rather surprised by this request but had quickly agreed. She helped him make a few heart-shaped cookies and frost them with some pink and red frosting.

“Do you want to write something on them?” His mother asked after they’d finished frosting the cookies.

“I dunno…Do you think we can?” Buddy gnawed on his lip.

“We can certainly try,” his mother said with a smile. “I doubt she’ll mind if they’re a little messy.”

“Well, okay.”

The cookies did end up a little messy, but Buddy managed to write out Dot’s name on one cookie and draw a heart on the other, both in white icing.

“She’s going to love them,” his mother told him.

Buddy nodded, unable to keep himself from smiling. He couldn’t help but be proud of what he’d done.

Once the cookies were done, he went to his grandfather to ask for help making a card. He’d been getting better at art and honestly kind of wanted to show his progress off. And make something special for Dot, of course. His grandfather didn’t question it, just asking what he wanted to draw.

Buddy had originally wanted to draw a picture of Dot, but every time he tried it didn’t end up looking like her at all, so he settled for drawing some pretty flowers instead. While Buddy wasn’t looking, though, his grandfather slipped the best sketch of Dot into the card and put it into the envelope.

When Valentine’s Day came around, Buddy showed up to the studio with his card and the wrapped cookies. He found Dot at her desk, pouring over a script the writing department was working on.

“Um…Happy Valentine’s Day,” Buddy said, presenting Dot with the gifts with a nervous grin. Dot turned away from the script, a huge grin spreading across her face at the sight of the presents.

“Aw, I always knew you could be a romantic!” Dot exclaimed before jumping to her feet and jamming a finger into Buddy’s chest. “How dare you hide this from me!”

“I, um, I’m sorry?” Buddy said slowly. “I didn’t…Really have a chance to be romantic before? ‘Cause I wasn’t dating anyone?” He was getting a bit of whiplash here. Dot could be so intense.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Dot said, taking the cookies and the card. “Anyway, thank you so much. I’m guessing you made these yourself?”

“Uh, yeah.” Buddy nodded, managing to smile again.

“That’s sweet.” Dot’s smile grew soft as she unwrapped the cookies. “I’m not gonna eat them right now since it’s 10am, but I’ll eat them later. You’re eating them with me, of course.”

“Sure.” Buddy laughed a little.

Dot then moved on to the card, opening the envelope and pulling out the card.

“I drew that myself,” Buddy said proudly.

“You’re definitely getting better,” Dot remarked as she opened the card. When she did, the unfinished sketch dropped out. Both Dot and Buddy frowned as it did, although realization dawned on Buddy as Dot knelt to pick it up.

“No, wait, don’t look at that!” Buddy yelled.

But it was too late, Dot had already picked it up and opened it. The sketch wasn’t very good but it was still recognizable as her. Buddy had drawn Dot laughing, a huge smile on her face.

“I’m sorry, it’s really bad.” Buddy began to fidget. “I don’t know how that got in there.”

“It’s fine,” Dot said. Her voice was soft and she had a small smile on her face. It was a far gentler expression than anything else Buddy had ever seen on her face.

“You don’t…hate it?” Buddy asked slowly.

“I mean, it’s not great artistically speaking,” Dot said, tracing the lines of the portrait. “But that doesn’t matter.” She kept staring at the drawing with that same soft smile on her face.

“Well, I’m glad you liked it.” Buddy smiled back. He’d certainly accomplished his goal.


	32. Chapter 32

**[loverofallarts12](https://loverofallarts12.tumblr.com/) asked** **: Thank you for the plot ideas! If you don't mind, could I request a short fanfic where Henry teaches his boyfriend Grant how to draw, please?**

Warning, this is going to be disgustingly sappy.

* * *

Grant wasn’t really all that artistic. He liked math much better. Math had concrete right answers. He understood math. He didn’t understand art in the slightest, especially since everyone viewed art differently. There was no one right way to understand art, which made him antsy.

But he was trying to understand art better now that he was dating Henry. Henry lived and breathed art, or at least lived and breathed cartoons. Grant understood so little about what Henry talked about when he started talking about drawing. He wanted to understand, though. He wanted to understand why Henry’s eyes lit up the way the did.

He knew he’d probably never get it the way Henry did, but he wanted some sort of better understanding. Which was why he was about to ask what he was,

“Could you…show me how to draw?”

Henry looked up from the book he’d been reading. Grant stood beside his chair, awkwardly holding a pencil and a brand new sketchpad.

“Yeah, sure!” Henry replied, his whole face lighting up. Grant couldn’t help but smile a little. Henry’s smile always made him feel warm inside.

Henry took Grant to his drawing desk, allowing Grant to sit in the main chair while he pulled up another one beside him.

“Alright, let’s start with the basics,” Henry said, scooting closer.

He started to explain the basics of drawing, most of which went over Grant’s head because he kept getting distracted by watching Henry. He loved the way Henry’s face lit up when he talked about something he was interested in.

“Are you paying attention?” Henry asked with a laugh when he noticed Grant staring.

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Grant scrambled to get his pencil.

“I guess I’m a bit distracting, huh?” Henry chuckled and kissed Grant’s cheek.

“Maybe a little,” Grant admitted with a sheepish smile. “But I’ll try to pay attention now, I promise.”

“I don’t mind if you get distracted, but alright.” Henry turned his attention back to the paper he’d been demonstrating on.

Grant did try to pay attention, although he still didn’t end up being all that good at drawing. Henry’s lesson did help him get a bit better, but art definitely wasn’t Grant’s thing.

“Well, thanks for trying,” Grant sighed, staring at his misshapen Bendy drawing.

“You did your best.” Henry kissed his cheek again. “I’m just glad you listening to me ramble for an hour.”

“I love listening to you ramble,” Grant said, taking Henry’s hand and squeezing it. “You’re beautiful when you’re talking about something you’re passionate about.”

Henry went bright red, hiding his face and mumbling. Grant couldn’t help but laugh, wrapping his arms around Henry.

“You don’t want to admit that you’re beautiful, huh?” He asked, pressing kisses all over Henry’s head.

“Stoooop,” Henry whined, squirming in Grant’s hold.

“Nope. Not gonna happen.” Grant shook his head. “You’re beautiful and I love you.”

“You’re the worst,” Henry grumbled, going even brighter red as he pulled back and covered his face with his hands.

“But you love me.”

“Yeah, I do.” Henry dramatically rolled his eyes. “But you’re awful.”

“Can I get back into your good graces with some tea?” Grant asked with an innocent smile.

Henry narrowed his eyes. “….Maybe.”

“Well then.” Grant relinquished his grasp and got up. “Why don’t I make you some?”

“Peppermint with honey, please!” Henry called after him as he headed for the kitchen.

“Will do!” Grant called back.

Henry settled back down in his chair, excited at the prospect of tea. He looked back at the drawings on the desk, his own Bendy and Grant’s awkward attempt. He was definitely keeping it.


	33. Chapter 33

**[loverofallarts12](https://loverofallarts12.tumblr.com/) asked:** **Could I please have a romantic Grant x Henry fic? It can be 100 words if you want. Can it also be about their first date?**

Sure! I hope this is good

* * *

Grant and Henry’s first date had been a bit awkward.

Grant, newly hired, had been a tad nervous about the ethics of going on a date with his boss. Henry, young and awkward, had also been a bit nervous about going on a date with his employee.

And yet, they’d both gone.

They didn’t remember which of them had asked the other. It had all happened in a whirlwind. They’d both been trying to work up the courage, each smitten with the other.

And then, there they’d been, sitting across from each other in the middle of a fancy restaurant. It was a restaurant Sammy had recommended, fancy enough that it would be good for a romantic date, but not so fancy that it would be too expensive. (Joey’s suggestion had been a restaurant he used to entertain investors, which was far too expensive for them.)

They’d tried to make awkward small talk at first, asking about each other’s families and interesting. They hadn’t been sure how to get comfortable with each other, both so desperate to have this date work out. They hadn’t wanted the date to go poorly because they did have to work with each other. It would be incredibly awkward to pass each other in the hallways knowing they’d made fools of themselves in front of the other.

Eventually, though, Henry had made some joke that had elicited a genuine laugh from Grant. And suddenly, it had been as though a wall had fallen. They found themselves able to speak far more openly, reveling in each other’s company. It felt good to share with one another.

Again and again throughout the night, their hands had found each other. Each began to catalog things in their mind that they found beautiful about the other. Henry’s smile, Grant’s laugh, the way each of their faces lit up when they talked about what they loved.

Grant had stayed at Henry’s place that night. They’d both ended up falling asleep cuddled together, still in their date outfits.

They considered the date a success.


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An ask meme from Tumblr. An employee tries to do some sexism and that's not gonna fly

**[insane-control-room](https://insane-control-room.tumblr.com/) asked: ** **not sure if youre doing these with specific characters, but if you are, esther with 'zero fucks given. next please'.**

Yeah, that sounds like her. 

* * *

If there was one thing the employees of Joey Drew Studios had learned about the sister of their boss, it was that Esther took absolutely no bullshit from anyone. 

This had been clear from the very first day she’d arrived and continued to be clear every day she dropped by the studio. A lot of changes had taken place since she’d begun advising Joey, which had made the studio a much better place to work overall. 

Still, there had been a few young foolhardy workers who had thought they could pull something over on her, which hadn’t gone particularly well for them. Mostly it was them trying to get raises they didn’t deserve or trying to butter her up so that they could get jobs at the law firm she worked at.

“So, you’re a lawyer, right?” One of the writers asked, walking up to Esther in the breakroom one day.

Esther looked up from her lunch, the look on her face indicating that whatever this conversation was about to entail, she was completely done with it. “I am.”

“Does it ever get hard?” The writer leaned on the table. “I mean, you’re a lady. Must be hard handling it all by yourself. How do you do it?” It could have been an innocent question had it not been for the smug tone in the writer’s voice.

“With zero fucks given. Next please,” Esther replied before immediately turning back to her food.

The writer’s smirk dropped as he blinked and straightened up, clearly not having expected this response. A few of the other employees snickered behind their hands. This made the writer’s face go red. 

“It doesn’t bother you?” He demanded. “You don’t ever feel like it’s too hard?”

“Young man, as lovely as this conversation is, I’d really like to eat my lunch,” Esther said, gesturing to the food on the table. “So, if you wouldn’t mind, I’m going to do that.”

The writer stared at her for a moment, then let out a small growl of frustration and stalked away. Esther went back to eating.


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another ask meme

**Anonymous asked:** **Can I have “real smooth, tripping over air.” with Wally??**

This is for [@randomwriteronline](https://tmblr.co/m0ZF7KZiT8k_kLHiQ3obKaw) and [@insane-control-room](https://tmblr.co/mJlb-vW43NaJNACvfy09WfA)

* * *

Wally was neither graceful nor suave. 

He was a disaster of a human being. 

And Sammy was hopelessly in love with him.

He watched Wally with a sort of longing he usually reserved for chocolate cake, unable to keep himself from think, “God, what a beautiful idiot” whenever he saw Wally do something stupid.

Such as tripping over air.

Wally was mopping outside of Sammy’s office when he inexplicably tripped over absolutely nothing at all. He caught himself by putting his hand against the window, which got Sammy’s attention.

“Real smooth, tripping over air,” Sammy remarked snarkily. 

“Hey, at least I didn’t fall into anything this time,” Wally replied. “It could’ve been way worse! Like that time I ended up with a bucket on my head.”

Sammy remembered that. He’d dreamed about kissing Wally under the moonlight for weeks afterward. 

“I guess you’re right.” He turned back to his work, trying to hide his growing blush. 

Five minutes later, Wally managed to trip again, landing face-first in an ink puddle and thoroughly drenching himself. As he tried to get up, he also ended up slipping on his bucket and hitting himself in the face with his mop

“God, I love him,” Sammy whispered to himself.


	36. Chapter 36

**Anonymous asked:** **I don’t see the ship a lot these days, but if you want to, Allison x Thomas oneshots back when they worked at the studio or at any time?**

I do like this ship. Especially when it involves Tom being very soft for his lovely wife.

* * *

Tom had first met Allison when a pipe had burst.

Allison, being the kind-hearted individual she was, had tried to help fix the pipe. However, since she knew absolutely nothing about mechanical engineering, she ended up making things far worse and at the end of it she was covered in ink.

Had it been anyone else, Tom would have yelled at them. But Allison looked so apologetic and distraught. He just couldn’t be mad at her.

“I’m so sorry!” Allison began to stammer as Tom waded through the ink toward her. “I know I shouldn’t have been touching it, I just wanted to help-”

“It’s not a big deal,” Tom cut her off, holding out a rag. “Here.”

“You’re not…mad?” Allison asked, tentatively taking the rag and starting to clean herself off.

“I think you’ve learned your lesson about messing with stuff you don’t know anything about,” Tom replied with a chuckle.

Allison’s cheeks went pink and she looked quickly away, mumbling another apology. Tom couldn’t help but smile.

.

“What’s this?” Tom asked.

Allison had approached him on his lunch break with a bag, smiling that sunny smile of hers. Tom hadn’t forgotten the incident with the pipes, but he hadn’t expected her to do anything about it.

“It’s lunch,” Allison replied brightly.

“And you’re bringing me lunch….why?”

“It’s my way of saying thank you.” Allison sat down beside him at the table, opening the bag and taking out the food inside. “For the thing with the pipes the other day.”

“You really didn’t need to do this,” Tom said, his eyes scanning the items of food. There were some cut up apple slices, a plastic container of some kind of pasta, a slice of pie, a thermos of what he assumed was tea.

“Oh, I know, but I wanted to.” Allison smiled at him again. “Not to mention I got a bit worried about what you were eating. You only ever eat cheese sandwiches and drink coffee. You need more variety in your diet.”

“Do I now?” Tom snorted, unable to keep himself from smiling.

“Yes, you do.” Allison sat down beside him.

Tom chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, if you’re insisting, I guess I can’t say no.”

“That’s right. You can’t.” Allison folded her arms with a self-satisfied smile.

Tom rolled his eyes fondly, taking the pasta and beginning to eat.

.

She kept bringing him lunch.

Despite him saying that it was fine, that she didn’t need to do it, she kept bringing him lunch.

The meals were a bit hit or miss at times, but eventually she figured out what he liked and started making more meals that were hits. They started to spend their lunch hours together. They even began to meet up outside of work. Allison invited him over for dinner at her house, he returned the favor.

Tom didn’t understand why she’d decided on spending time with him. He wasn’t complaining, though. He was really starting to like her. He’d fallen in love before. It hadn’t gone too well in the past. Especially when he’d fallen in love with someone in his workplace. Joey would 100% take advantage of this weakness if he found out too.

But for Allison? He was willing to risk it.

She was such an amazing woman. Kind, compassionate, elegant, refined, and also one of the scariest people he knew. Allison tried not to get violent or lash out against people, but if she was pushed too far she _would_ end the conflict. _She knew how to fence._

She could definitely take care of herself. 

He wanted to marry her.

**Author's Note:**

> Go to my Tumblr @queenofcats17 if you want to check out my art or request something


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